


You Do It For Love

by captaincastle



Category: Mob City
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Joe is a precious boy who needs more love, Mild Angst, Mild Sexual Content, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, someone hug him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-12-04 01:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 27,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11544159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaincastle/pseuds/captaincastle
Summary: Drabble collection exploring the more romantic side of Detective Joe Teague from Mob City.





	1. Milkshakes and Broken Noses

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to kteague and others on tumblr for the support for this <3

When Joe was gone fighting in the war, the apartment was too quiet. There was a hole in your heart and an empty space in your bed.

But you managed.

Like everyone else did. You went to work. You made dinner. You fell comfortably into a routine but the whole time you had that thought in the back of your mind; of just how much you missed him and were worried about him.

Every night you waited in false hope that your Joe would walk through the front door.

But he didn’t. And you’d make dinner for one.

Dinner was lonely. You played records or the radio to fill the empty space with sound. But even romantic songs made your heart ache because you knew Joe would’ve gathered you into his arms and sway you back and forth.

You missed all the little moments like that. The years when he was gone were long. You ached to kiss him. To hold him. To see that crooked smile. To hear his deep rumble when he chuckles.

There weren’t enough pillows to put on your bed to fill that void he left. The pillows filled up the space but they were cold. You had no warm arm to hold you tight. You even missed hearing his calm breathing next to you. It was just too quiet.

You jumped every time the phone rang. Because your paranoia took over the longer he was gone. You almost became obsessed listening to the radio for updates. At night you dreamed about him coming home. You had nightmares too. That something bad happened or that you weren’t there to meet him when he came home. Or the worse nightmare to you was that he didn’t feel the same about you when he returned. You found yourself feeling guilty because you worried about this.

You just longed to hear his voice again. Hear his voice say your name.

You’ll never forget as long as you live that feeling of when he held you in his arms again after so long without him. You felt like you were on your honeymoon again with him. So many long lingering kisses. His hands were all over your skin. He held you so tight it almost hurt but you didn’t care at all.

And suddenly there was noise back in your life when he came back. Dinner wasn’t quiet. You actually had someone there to talk to. There were two forks clattering on plates instead of just one.

And when you played records, Joe was there to hold you and sway with your in your little living room. He’d smile as you’d hum along. And he’d say something sweet about how much he missed your voice.

Nighttime was what made you happiest. You hated being alone, especially at night. And now that your Joe was curled up next to you was all you wanted. His quiet steady breathing when he slept. His heartbeat in your ear if you rested your head on his chest. His big arms safely wrapped around your waist. Be it quiet breathing or moans and gasps from Joe’s lovemaking, you were just glad it wasn’t quiet anymore.

There were occasions when it wasn’t quiet enough, like when one of his nightmares hit, but you helped him through them.

And then of course when he became a detective for the LAPD there was constant noise. But it was what you missed so much when he was gone.

There was a comfortable bustle in your little apartment of the two of you coming and going for work and such things.

But maybe it’s just because now you were so aware of Joe’s presence back in your life. He’s so broad and bulky he fills up a lot of space. He himself is not a loud man, but his presence is loud.

There were so many little things you missed, and you didn’t even realize til you had them back. For the first several weeks back it still didn’t feel real. Like when you first would wake up in the morning, and Joe’s getting ready. He’s sitting on his side of the bed, tying his tie. His back is facing you and you just stared in awe, because he’s really here. Had his shoulders always been that broad? Maybe it was the shoulder holster but you didn’t know. What you did know is he was incentive for you to get up out of that bed. Your hands went straight for his shoulders. You smoothed your hands over them and sighed a little louder than you meant to.

Joe simply turned his head a bit and raised an eyebrow.

“You ok back there sweetheart?”

He had that sly grin plastered on his face.

You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck and placed a kiss to his stubbly cheek.

He turned a little and pulled you onto his lap to look at you. His hands were on your face, and he didn’t say anything. He just looked.

“Oh I missed you baby.” he said finally. “You almost don’t feel real in my arms.” His hands were resting gently on your hips, his fingers digging into the silky material of your nightgown. You felt the heat from his hands on your skin and it burned so good. He slid his hands down to your thighs and start to tug your nightgown up to get it off.

You wriggled under his touch, giggling a little as his hands were on your bare skin now. His hands were firmly grasping your waist and you sighed heavily and rested your head against his shoulder.

“I have to go to work Joe. You do too.”

“Just a second.” he whispered.

His hands went to your hair, and he leaned you back a little in his lap. His eyes raked over your body, and he stopped to look at your face for a long time.

“Just kiss me marine.” you laughed and grabbed his tie and pulled him to you. His hands were on your bare back and he dug his fingers into your skin, like he was afraid to let go.

He was grinning when he pulled away, and he carefully lifted you off his lap so you could dress for the day.

You could feel his eyes on you as you’d get dressed. You were putting on your earrings and you’d catch his eye in the mirror and feel your face redden. And how could you not redden with those big brown eyes looking at you the way they were. Especially not after his kisses and heated touches from just a few moments ago. And he just grinned and adjusted his shirt sleeve button. And if he keeps smiling at you like that, his shirt is gonna get ripped off and you’ll drag him back to that bed and be late for work.

He put on his suit jacket, and helped you put on your coat, he kissed your cheek then your lips deeply as you both headed out the door. He put on his hat, and shoved his hands in his pockets. With his hand still in his pocket, he extended his elbow out to you and took his arm. You hand curled around his bicep as he walked you out of your apartment outside to your car. He opened the door for you, and you smiled watching him walk around to the other side of the car. He climbed in and drove you to work to drop you off. He kissed you several times before you got out of the car.

You walked into work with smudged lipstick and flushed cheeks. Your coworkers giggled when they saw you, it’d been so long since they’d seen you that happy. And the ones who had just had their solider come home understood.

And they laughed as you quickly made your exit at lunch, you had a date with Joe and you were not going to miss this for anything. The diner you were meeting Joe at was right next door to where you worked, and you were just going to meet him inside. He insisted he pick you up, but you told him to go ahead and sit down and order. He couldn’t say no to your eyes.

So when you walked inside, you scanned the diner for your Joe. It took you about two seconds to spot him. He was alone at a booth, you spotted those broad shoulders. When you walked up behind him, you kissed him on the cheek. His forefinger and thumb found your chin and he kissed you softly.

“Hey baby.” He smiled at you and handed you your drink as you sat down.

“Did you already order?”

He nodded. “I know what you like.” he took a swig from his drink and looked at you over the brim of the glass.

Your cheeks reddened, and quickly you reached for your drink to avoid his gaze. It’s almost like you’d forgotten how intense his stare was. You used to dream about it when he was gone, but it’s different now that you have him back and his soft eyes are looking at you, and his lips are curved into a smile.

You felt like you were dating him again. It was a mixture of new emotions because he was back, but also the two of you picked up where you left off. Maybe that’s what it was. You had only just gotten married before he left. You never really got to experience actual married life until now.

The waitress brought your food and it made you happy that Joe did in fact know what you liked, because you both got burgers and fries and chocolate milkshakes. it’s been years since you’ve eaten that with him. But there was another detail he remembered about you, the second the shakes were set down, you saw Joe reach for the cherry on the top of your shake and he set it next to the cherry on his shake, because he remembered you don’t like cherries.

“What?” he said as he popped a fry into his mouth. He’d seen you see him take the cherry. “You don’t like cherries.”

“It’s just sweet you remembered.”

“How could I forget? Thought about you all the time when I was over there baby.”

You smiled and had to dab your eyes with your napkin to keep your tears from spilling. He reached his hand across the table, and found your hand and he squeezed. Then he swiped a fry from your plate and popped it in his mouth.

“Joe!” you giggled, “You have your own!”

“Yeah but yours are better.” he said and licked the salt from the fry off of his thumb.

You played along and held one of your fries out to him. His lips grazed your finger and he winked when he caught your eye.

Your cheeks darkened once again, and he smiled. It made you happy that he wanted to see your smile, that he missed your smile as much as you missed his.

He didn’t wink or look at you when he ate both of the cherries on his shake, but you knew he saw your cheeks redden again. At this point he had only been back for a couple weeks, you had years to make up for. And you won’t lie, you missed him for dozens for reasons, but the things his mouth did you to, was a big reason you missed him. He knew this, at least you assumed he did because he seemed to miss pleasuring you with that mouth of his. He kissed you often, and trailed his lips across you skin frequently. And he saw your little glances when he bit the cherry stem off with his teeth. He didn’t help any when you swiped some whipped cream on your finger to taste it, but he grabbed your wrist before you could lick your finger, and he closed his lips around your finger to lick the cream off.

You quivered as his tongue licked the cream off of your finger, but your sighs turned to a frown when you saw some policeman running in the door. Joe saw your expression change and he turned to see what the commotion was about.

The cops came over to your table, and Joe stood to talk to the other cops. You were trying to figure out what was going on but all you could guess was that they needed Joe for whatever case he was working on.

Joe’s face was serious, and he grabbed his coat from the booth. He took out his wallet and handed you money for the meal. He hated to leave, you could see it in his eyes, and felt it in the desperation of his kiss.

You finished your shake, and paid for your meal and went back to work. When work was finally over, Joe wasn’t there to pick you up, which happened sometimes if he was working late. You took a cab home, and started on dinner.

But the later it got, the more you began to worry. By now you’d already eaten, and part of you wish you hadn’t because you felt a little sick. You knew that with this job it was dangerous, but you had just gotten him back.

You got ready for bed, but you couldn’t sleep. It was a little after 11 when the door opened and Joe walked in. You shot out of bed and ran to the door to see if he was okay. You gasped when you saw a cut across his nose. Blood was all over his face. He had a black eye and his lip was a little swollen.

“Joe!” you gasped as you approached him. “Are you ok?”

“I’ve had worse.”

Immediately you went to the kitchen to get some ice and a rag for his nose.

You heard him sigh heavily as he sat down on the couch. You got another rag and got it wet to clean off his face. When you walked over to him, his hands reached for you and he pulled you on top of his lap. You cleaned the blood of his face, he closed his eyes and rubbed his thumbs on your hips as you worked.

“I like you a lot better than the medic we had over there.” he said softly.

“Oh yeah?” you teased.

He winced when you touched his nose to clean it.

“Joe baby how many times have you broken your nose?”

“Lost count.”

“I need a number, Joe.”

He raised an eyebrow, and thought about it for a second.

“Maybe? 10?”

You shook your head and carefully kissed him on his nose about the cut, 10 times.

“You know I think it was…18 times.” he said after the tenth kiss.

You laughed and handed him the ice so he could rest it on his nose. You leaned into him and kissed his lips the rest of the eight times. Just to be sure. His bottom lip was a little swollen in the corner, so you kissed the opposite corner of his mouth.

“Sorry about lunch today….and dinner.”

“I can heat up your dinner if you want?”

You giggled when you heard his stomach rumble a little.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

You kissed his forehead and got up to turn the oven back on. While you were doing that, Joe disappeared into the bedroom to change out of his bloody clothes. He came back out wearing some pajama pants. He crept up behind you in the kitchen, and you felt the heat of his shirtless chest against the thin material of your nightgown.

“How long til dinner’s ready?”

“30 minutes?” you guessed.

He leaned down and kissed your neck.

“Perfect.” he purred against your skin. “because I want my dessert first.”


	2. Adjusting

Every night was different in your little apartment when Joe first came home. He had trouble adjusting. A lot of nights he preferred to stay awake so he could remember that you were still real, and not a dream. He wanted to hold you, make love to you, and sometimes he just wanted to look at you. Your soft features that he had dreamed about over and over while he was gone. 

You loved those nights when he held you and looked at you that way. Because you yourself had spent many sleepless nights from worry. So finally having Joe back to hold you and kiss you and love on you was definitely worth losing sleep over. 

But not every night was soft and romantic. There were a lot of rough nights when Joe’s sleep was restless and he was haunted by dreams. It didn’t happen a lot, but he worried about it, worried about hurting you. Most of the time his lack of sleep came from jolting awake at every sound. He still had the mentality that he was at war and was in danger. This fear was heightened because he felt he must protect you. Even when he didn’t have nightmares he sometimes struggled to just get comfortable, he felt like the bed was too soft. 

You woke up one night when you heard Joe call out your name in his sleep, but when you sat up, you saw that he wasn’t next to you. When you heard your name again, you peered over your side of the bed to see Joe asleep on the floor. He’d mumbled your name a few times, and one arm was outstretched on the floor as if he was trying to find you. But he’d stilled now, and was breathing steadily. 

You grabbed your pillow and your blanket and got down on the floor with him. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep but you just wanted him near you, and you felt like if he woke up it would make him feel better. 

Your heart ached to see him sleeping, he looked so peaceful now that he had calmed down. But what really ached your heart was that he was on the floor on your side of the bed. Meaning when he got up out of bed, he walked around to your side so he could be as close to you as possible. 

You fell asleep rather quickly and the next thing you knew when you woke in the morning you were back in the bed. You rolled over to see he was still on the floor. You reached across the bed to grab his watch on his bedside table to check the time. It was around 5 am. You still had an hour before you had to get up for the day. 

“Joe!” You whispered. 

He mumbled and you saw him roll over to face you. He sleepily rubbed his eyes and looked up at you from the floor. 

“Time to get up?" 

"Yeah Joe time for you to get up here with me. You’ve got an hour to sleep. Spend it with me." 

He grinned sleepily and stood only to crawl up on the bed next to you. He curled up next to you and sighed. His arm instantly finding your waist. 

"Why did you move me back up here on the bed last night?" 

"More comfortable.” He mumbled sleep still clinging to his voice. 

“But not for you it isn’t.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you.” 

“Joe baby, you won’t.And I think you were dreaming about me. You called my name. Was it a good dream?” 

“Don’t remember.” 

You could tell by the look on his face he remembered some of it, and it probably wasn’t a good dream either. But you didn’t press him. He’d been through enough. 

“Can I do anything?” you asked rubbing your fingers through his hair. 

When you asked you saw his face soften, and he had the most tender look in his eyes. 

He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you as close to him as he could. He kissed your lips repeatedly. 

“Baby, you’re doing more than you know to help.” 

You dozed off in his arms, it was only for about an hour before the two of you had to get up, but it was well worth it.


	3. Leaving

The first time you saw Joe Teague was not where you would have expected to meet your future husband. Of course you entertained the thought, but it never crossed your mind when you actually met him.

You met Joe in the late 1930s. You were both young and in your 20s. And Joe was a boxer. The only reason you met him was because of your cousin. Your older cousin was also a boxer, and your uncle owned the local gym in the neighborhood. As an easy job (those were hard to come by during the Depression), you worked as a bookkeeper for your uncle. But the more time you spent at the gym, mainly in an office, you wanted to venture out and watch the boxers as they practiced sparring and whatnot.

And that was how you first met Joe. He was new in the gym, kinda quiet. But one of his first few days there was one of the days you decided to watch your cousin spar a little.

You didn’t even know who Joe was when you watched him step into the ring. You noticed he was cute and his big brown eyes got your attention, but you were also watching your cousin in his element. As you walked up close, you noticed this stranger (aka Joe) had been looking at you, he was stealing glances, and looked embarrassed when you made eye contact with him. But his distraction because of you cost him a sock on the jaw from your cousin. This upset you of course, because this handsome man was just about to smile at you when he got hit in the face. Your cousin laughed, and Joe straightened up to hit your cousin back. You giggled, and you saw the handsome stranger smile at your small giggle.

It was nearing the end of the day, and most of the guys, including your uncle, had gone home. You were finishing up some things before you left, and before you knew it, it was late. It was after 9 and you never stayed at the gym past 6. You’d just been so busy you’d lost track. As you were walking through the gym to leave, you saw over in the corner, the stranger who had smiled at you today. He was punching a punching bag on the wall.

As you neared him, you blushed seeing him. You’d seen him earlier today of course but you hadn’t gotten a good look. But now he was on your radar since he was the FIRST guy in that gave you attention without sounding cocky or rude. 

He was so handsome. His face was young. You loved his deep brown eyes. They were focused, something which you were glad for as you unashamedly glanced at his shirtless torso. A sheen layer of sweat was on his smooth chest and firm arms. You felt your knees shake as you saw his fist hit the bag, and your tummy began to flip when you heard his grunts and groans as he hit the bag.

You were initially approaching him to tell him you were closing up, but after seeing this attractive stranger, you forgot. And now you were standing a couple feet away just gawking at this handsome stranger hitting a punching bag.

When he saw you he stopped punching.

“Time to leave?” he asked quietly.

You nodded, still in a daze as he got closer to you.

“You the last one here?”

Your eyes widened in fear, suddenly worried, but when you saw the look of concern on your face, you felt at ease.

“I’ll walk you home.”

You nodded again, telling him yes.

“You have a cut on your lip. Was that from my cousin?”

“Yeah,” he grinned a half smile, “he got me for looking at you. Think that means I shouldn’t ask you to dinner?”

You blushed, “I think he’s just a little cocky. And dinner at 7 tomorrow would be nice.” You said out loud without even really thinking. You didn’t know this man. You didn’t even know his name. But you knew he was handsome and he looked at you differently than the others did.

“I’m Joe. Joe Teague.” He said as if he read your mind. He took off the boxing glove to extended his hand to you to shake it. “And dinner sounds great.”

And that was how your relationship began with him. It was a secret relationship, but then it really wasn’t. You didn’t want to broadcast it, but everyone in that gym knew about you and Joe.

You didn’t interact much during the day. You might watch him a little, but it was after everyone left that you spent your time with him.

You’d patch up any small cuts he had, you’d help him take of his gloves and tape off of his hands and knuckles. You had a little ritual where you would kiss his knuckles every night for good luck for the next day of boxing.

You kissed his lips a lot too. There were several heated kisses shared in the locker room. He’d have you pinned against the lockers, his sweaty hand on under your shirt on your hip. Somehow it didn’t bother in the least that he was always warm and sweaty when he kissed you. He always apologized after and said he should give you a proper kiss later when he’s dressed and more presentable, but to you a kiss was a kiss. All of them were good.

It never went any farther in the locker room than some heavy heated kisses, because Joe was not about to have you in a dirty sweaty locker room.

He was a perfect gentleman about everything. He walked you home every night. He took you out on sweet diner dates as much as he could. He was a cop now. He used his boxing skills to help keep him in shape, and you couldn’t have been more proud that he was a cop now. The only problem was he came by the gym less often. You didn’t get to see him much in the day anymore, and you hated it. You were so used to seeing him all day. But you knew this was part of it. Besides, you knew he was going to ask you to marry him soon, then you’d get to see him every morning and every night.

But those marriage plans got rushed. The war forced Joe’s hand. He got drafted, but it didn’t matter he was going to volunteer anyways. But he kept his promise to you. The only thing that upset him was he wanted to propose to you on his own time, but he didn’t get that chance. He proposed, and the two of you were engaged for about a day, and then you married quickly the next day.

You only had about 3 days with him before he had to leave. 3 days to kiss him and hold him and make as much love as humanly possible in just 3 days.

When he became a cop you complained about not being able to see him during the day, but now you were not going to see him at all. For who knows how long.

It was the morning he had to leave. You barely slept all night. You just wanted to look at him one more time.

The sun had just risen and Joe cracked open his eyes to see your tired ones looking back at him.

“How long have you been awake baby?”

“All night.” You sighed.

He smiled and pulled you to him to kiss you softly. “No, you slept some, I know because I was up for awhile watching you sleep. Just wanted to see your face before I left.”

You felt tears in your eyes, because you didn’t know how you were going to do this.

“Baby,” he whispered when he saw your tears. “I’m here sweetheart.”

“But soon you won’t be.” You sobbed into his neck.

He squeezed you so tight, if it was any tighter you would have snapped in half, but right now that’s how you felt. Your heart was aching.

Joe pulled back and smoothed his hand over your hair.

“Look at me baby. I wanna see you smile before I leave.” He ran his thumb under your eyes to wipe away your tears.

You reached your hands up and held his face in your hands. The tears would not stop falling from your eyes. All you could think about was the silly little crush you had on the quiet boxer all those years ago. You used to blush when he walked by and you used to dream about his kisses. And this morning you woke up with hickeys covering your body as Joe wanted to kiss every last inch of skin before he left.

Joe was going to coax a smile from you, he was determined. His heart broke because he didn’t want to leave you, but he knew he had to.

The elephant in the room was what if this was the last time?

So Joe was going to get you to smile, because it might be the last time.

He peppered your face with kisses, and he saw the beginning of a smile, but he wanted a big one. He slid his hand down from your hair, to your bare skin under the covers. His hand found your biggest ticklish spot and he moved his fingers to coax a laugh from you. A burst of giggles erupted from your lips and Joe was quick to capture your lips in a kiss, so he could hear you giggling into the kiss. When he pulled away he saw the shine in your eyes from the smile and for now, he was satisfied.

He sighed as he sat up, he knew he really had to get going. He was about to get out of bed, and so were you but you stopped him.

“Joe, wait.” You grabbed both of his hands, and held them in yours.

You pulled his hands to your lips and you kissed his knuckles.

When you looked back up, you said, “For luck.” And you saw Joe smile, but there were some tears in his eyes. He pulled his hands from yours and wrapped them tightly around your torso. He pulled you as tight as he could and kissed you with everything he had. You were crying into the kiss. He could taste the salt from tears. He didn’t know if they were yours or his.

You both dressed in a hurry, and you didn’t even know how many kisses you shared before you waved goodbye as he boarded the train with hundreds of other men. Now you were surrounded by other weepy women who had just said goodbye to her soldier.

You stood in that train station til the train was long gone, wondering when you would see your Joe again. You imagined Joe was thinking the same thing on the train and it hurt your heart. You were going back to your life, (even though you would quit working at the gym because it reminded you too much of him), but Joe was going to war. You hoped he’d find the wedding picture you slipped into his wallet, because his life was about to get so incredibly difficult, and maybe seeing your face would keep him going. But you, like all the other women, walked out of that train station alone and busied yourself until the day would come when you would see your solider again.


	4. Fire

You didn’t realize that it was closing time until you heard the bell at the front door chime. You looked up from the stack of books you were labeling at the checkout counter when you heard the door. It was only then you realized it was dark outside, and a cool draft blew in. You saw the clock on the wall said it was after 6, you closed up your bookstore at 5. But you had a new shipment of books come in that day and you still hadn’t gotten them all labeled. You started to step out from behind your counter to tell whoever it was that the store was closed. You opened your mouth to speak, but stopped when you saw your Joe standing in front of the counter.

“Workin’ late?” he asked with a small smile.

You gasped realizing you were going to make dinner that night, but you obviously hadn’t started on it yet. “Joe I’m so sorry I forgot about dinner.”

He smiled a bigger smile and leaned on the counter across from you.

“Ain’t too late sweetheart.” He said and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. You had turned your back to place the stacks of unsorted books on the shelf behind you, you would get to them tomorrow. You turned back around when you heard the flick of Joe’s lighter as he light the cigarette in his mouth.

“Hey!” you laughed and pulled the cigarette from his lips before he could light it. “No smoking in the store Joe. Don’t need you setting the books on fire.”

“What if I set something else on fire?” he asked and began to walk around the counter to get to you.

“Joe!” you giggled as he stalked closer to you.

He winked and walked back around to go towards the front door. He flipped the open sign to closed and locked the door. He licked his lips and without breaking eye contact he was back around that counter and had his hands on your face, and his lips pressed against yours and his tongue in your mouth. One hand left your face and he grabbed your leg and put it on his hip. He backed you up against the shelf and began to kiss your neck with hot open mouthed kisses. He hiked your skirt up so you could wrap both legs around his waist and he continued his kissing on your neck. The shelf was digging into your back but you found you didn’t care.

Your hands wrapped around his head and your fingers dug into his head as he worked a hickey into your neck. One hand was on your back holding you to him, and the other had slid under your shirt and his fingers were digging into the skin on your hip. You moaned louder than you meant to and you felt him grin against your neck.

He pulled away and cocked an eyebrow at you.

“Take me upstairs Joe.”

Upstairs is your apartment. This place was yours, and when you married Joe, he moved in here with you.

“I was gonna take you to dinner.”

You whined, but your stomach growled. You cursed your stomach for being hungry at a time like this. You were hungry for something else, but your stomach had other plans.

Joe still holding onto you, turned and set you down so you were sitting on top of the counter. You smoothed out your now wrinkled skirt and shirt. And Joe knelt to the ground when he saw your shoes had fallen off. He picked them both up, and while still kneeling he placed them both on your dangling feet.

While he was there, he took the opportunity to grab ahold of your ankle, and he began to kiss his way up. He began to nibble on your calf and you shifted, very frustrated.

“Joe…” you gasped as he continued to tease. He was nowhere near anywhere you wanted him to be. He was still at your calf, nibbling into your flesh. His eyes looked up to you, and you saw his devilish grin. He stood and helped you get down. He grabbed your coat off of the coatrack behind you and helped you put it on.

You were a little irritated at him, and he could see it.

“What is it?” He grinned.

“Why did you do that?” You playfully shoved his chest as he held the door open for you, so the two of you could go outside. You knew he was right, and you were hungry too. You knew if you didn’t get something to eat your stomach growling would annoy you, and you wanted a good long night of lovemaking with Joe. Better to eat now, and then have the rest of the night for your husband’s kisses.

“Told you I was gonna start a fire. Didn’t say I’d put it out.” He kissed your cheek and took your hand in his arm. “We’ll eat, then I’ll get some dessert.” He whispered dessert in a low voice that made you quiver.

He saw your cheeks turn pink in the cool air, and he kissed one.

The two of you ate dinner quickly, and were out the door before you knew it.

Your hands were shaking as you tried to unlock the door to the shop to get inside, it was a little distracting when Joe Teague is behind you nibbling on your ear. His hands were on your hips and the two of you almost fell inside when you unlocked the door. You giggled and grabbed Joe by his tie. You tried walking backwards towards the upstairs, but you bumped into a shelf, to your credit it was dark in there and you were looking at your husband’s face. His big brown eyes were looking deep into your eyes and he had a grin plastered to his face.

He stopped you, and swung his arm under your legs to carry you upstairs. He took the keys from your hand to unlock your apartment door, and now it was his turn to be distracted. You were nibbling on his ear and moaning as you kissed him. He leaned his head into the door.

“Oh baby, you’re gonna be the death of me.” he whispered.

He unlocked the door and carried you to your room. He had been such a tease earlier, but now he was making sure he loved on you. He laid you down on the bed and kissed any flesh exposed as he undressed you.

After quite some time of Joe’s loving, he was laying next to you, he ran his hand over your hair. He kissed your cheek over and over.

“They’re giving me the day off tomorrow. Do you want me to help you finish organizing those books?”

“Joe you don’t have to do that.” You smiled, he NEVER got days off work.

“Let me.” he kissed your nose. As he pulled away, he had such a look of love in his eyes.

You started to blush under his gaze. “What is it?” you asked shyly. He was examining you with those eyes of his.

“You just look so beautiful. You always do but you just…really look beautiful.”

You could only imagine what you looked like, hair mussed up, since Joe’s hands were in it a good while, and you know you had hickeys all over your neck. Not to mention your cheeks were extremely red under his gaze.

“So damn beautiful.” He whispered and nuzzled his face into your neck. He sighed heavily, enjoyed the scent of your warm skin.

“This was it.”

“Hmm?” you didn’t know what he meant.

“This was one of the spots I missed most when I was gone. Right here.” His arms were wrapped tight around you and his face was still in your neck.

Your heart melted, but then two seconds later your heart jumped out of your chest when you heard him mention he missed his head between your thighs.

He chuckled and rolled over on his back. “C’mere baby.” He pulled your over so your head was on his chest, you draped an arm across his stomach, and his arm squeezed your shoulder tight.

“This was what I missed.” You said sleepily. You yawned, and Joe smiled. Never in all his years would he have thought a yawn could be so damn cute, but when he was on those islands, surrounded by horror, something as simple as a yawn made his heart swell. Because it just made him happy that things were normal. When he was overseas he didn’t get to hold his sleepy wife after making love to her. He had to go to sleep with one eye open wondering if he was gonna make it.

“Joe?” you mumbled. “what are you thinking about?” you looked up because he hadn’t moved. Normally he slid down to rest his head on the pillow, but his back was still resting against the headboard.

“I’m just really glad I’m home.” He finally slid down and the two of you shifted a little to get more comfortable.

“Me too Joe.”

Right before you went to sleep, you heard Joe ask when your lunch break was and how long you had because he had plans for that lunch break, and you went to sleep with a smile on your face because you knew tomorrow was going to be a major distraction working with Joe all day. You were looking forward to being kissed against that bookshelf again.


	5. Best Kind of Medicine

It’s late. It’s very late. Joe has been on a rough case these past few weeks and you have been so worried. He’s exhausted when he gets home, and has to stay out later while he works on this grueling case.

You hate it for him because you are worried about his safety. Meanwhile Joe is worried because he is so tired when he gets home he hardly has the energy to play with the girls, or spend time with you.

The girls never knew it though; they never knew daddy was tired. Usually he got in so late that they were the tired ones.

Joe felt guilt and he hated it still. He couldn’t give each of his little girls the attention they deserved.

With you it was worse. He couldn’t hold you and love on you the way he wanted.

As soon as his body hit the mattress he realized how fatigued he was. He felt guilty because he’s a boxer, a marine, your husband, but he is exhausted. And the moment your hands go to his hair, he melts into your touch.

You’ve spent the last week going to bed with Joe’s head in your lap as you scratch his head and his back while he falls asleep. He drooled on your leg last night, and that might have made you laugh but you didn’t notice because you were crying. Your heart was aching for your sweet Joe.

So tonight you were up late, waiting for Joe to come home. The girls were up playing on the floor in front of you and you hadn’t really thought to put them to bed, you were sitting in the chair in the living room watching the front door. The girls were fine and already in their pjs, you weren’t leaving them alone, you just didn’t want to leave that room until you saw Joe Teague walk through the front door.

When he did walk through the door, you scared the girls because you jumped. You heard the keys jingle in the lock and you practically gasped in relief.

Joe all but stumbled in the door. You could tell by the way he moved that he was hurt. You didn’t see any blood, but right away you saw he was holding his shoulder and there was a bandage on his forehead.

“Joe!” your hand flew to your heart when you saw him walk in.

His eyes were heavy and tired but you saw them light up when he saw his children run up to him.

There was a chorus of three little girl’s voices yelling “Daddy! Daddy!!”

Joe BEAMED even though you saw he was in pain. He knelt to their level when they ran up to him, and wrapped his good arm around all three of them in a hug.

“My girls, my beautiful girls.” He whispered. You were crying. There was something about how he looked that told you the case was done.

“What happened to your head daddy?” Elizabeth asked.

“Daddy got a little cut is all, don’t worry baby.” Joe responded. You saw him wince slightly when he moved his shoulder.

“Girls?” you called for their attention. Joe was still kneeling in front of them, and you were anxious to see him and make sure he was ok.

All three turned to look at you, Joe looked up at you as well. You could just see his eyes from under the shadow of his hat he still hadn’t taken off.

“C’mere.” You whispered to them, you knelt in the middle of the living room, and because you looked like you had a secret all three came to you.

You motioned for Joe to stay, and as the girls came you whispered your “secret”, but you whispered it loud enough that Joe could still hear.

“Does daddy need a doctor?” Anna asked, she’s old enough to feel concern.

“Daddy’s gonna be just fine baby, but daddy does need a lot of kisses. Remember when daddy and I give you kisses when you’re hurt? Well daddy needs lots of those. They will help.” You looked up at Joe and threw him a little wink.

You sent each girl to Joe one at a time, and each one smothered his face in kisses. Elizabeth as always, made a comment about his stubbly cheeks. 

By the time little Gracie had toddled over to kiss her daddy, Joe’s heart was already melted from all the affection, and he still not gotten a kiss from you yet.

Gracie gave him a big slobbery kiss on the lips, and when she pulled away, she asked if “daddy’s all better now?”

“Daddy’s better pumpkin.” He pressed a kiss to her round cheeks and kissed her over and over.

They all said goodnight, and Anna led Gracie and Elizabeth down the hall for bed, Anna wanted to be a mommy just like you, so you let her help sometimes.

“My turn.” You said and walked up to Joe. He was standing now and reached his good arm out for you.

You kissed him fiercely, like your life depended on it. You hadn’t kissed him like that since the day he came home from the war. And after what he looked like right now, he might as well have gotten home from war.

When you pulled away from the kiss you really got to looking at him.

He looked awful.

You tried to play it down when the girls where there, but he really looked bad.

Tears began to fall from your eyes as you examined his face.

“Joe.” You weakly cried, and put your hand on his cheek. “Go sit in our room, sit down Joe. I’m gonna take care of you ok?”

“Yes ma’am,” was his simple reply. He headed back to your bedroom, and you locked the place up and turned off all the lights. You made sure the girls were ok, and then you went back to your Joe.

As you walked through the house you cried, tears wouldn’t stop falling. But as you neared the bedroom, you wiped your tears on your robe, gathered your courage, and put on your best brave face for him. Even if he could see right through you, which he could, you needed him to know you were going to be strong for him.

When you walked in, he was sitting quietly on the foot of the bed, still completely dressed, but it was then you realized he couldn’t undress because of his shoulder.

You walked in front of him, and took off his hat. In the light of the room, you saw how bad his face was. Most of his face was purple and red from cuts and bruises. He had a major gash on his forehead, and blood was starting to seep through the bandage.

“Joe baby, I’ve gotta get you undressed first ok?”

He nodded, and though he’s in pain, you saw him smile a sly grin.

“I like the sound of that,” he rasped. His voice was shot too. What had he seen tonight?

You flushed a little, but helped him to his feet.

Slowly, you helped him take off his jacket.

“Joe? Why didn’t you go the hospital?”

“Wanted to see you. Wanted to see them. Needed my girls.”

You had been untying his tie, but you froze to look up at him, he was so close. His big brown eyes were looking right into yours. Your heart was aching, and you leaned up to press a kiss to his lips before finishing with his tie.

You worked the shoulder holster off, and then worked on his shirt. He tried to help, but you wouldn’t let him, and with a little chuckle, he let you do what you wanted.

You took his tank top off, and made him sit back down to take off his shoes and socks.

When he stood back up you reached for his belt.

“Anything hurt on your legs?”

“Nah but somethin’ does need your attention later.”

You looked up at him shyly, but answered with a grin, “We’ll see how you’re doin’ later.”

“Alright doc,” he smiled back.

You did take his pants off, so now Joe is just in his underwear.

Now that you’ve finally got him stripped down, you lead him to the bathroom to clean up his wounds.

You clean his face, and stitch up the cut on his forehead. You must have done that a dozen times. He barely flinches. It’s his shoulder you’re worried about. The cut is pretty nasty. If he moves his arm at all it aggravates the gash further, he’s going to have to put that arm in a sling.

You clean his torso, and around the cut as best you can. Your hands are shaking as you ready the needle for this gash.

“Hey.”

You glance up at him when you hear him speak.

“It’s ok. Breathe sweetheart.”

With his good arm, he rests his hand on your cheek and pulls you to him to kiss him. When he pulls away, he rubs his thumb across your cheek.

“My girl,” he breathes. Both of you know it’s going to hurt him, but you take a deep breath and stick the needle into his skin. You make the stitches, and get an old sheet to make makeshift sling for his arm til you can get a real one.

Finally once you got him all cleaned up and stitched up, the two of you went back into the bedroom.

You both laid down next to each other and when Joe tried to roll on top of you, he groaned in pain. He swore loudly. You could see the hurt in his eyes.

“Joe, it’s ok-“

“No. No it isn’t. I haven’t held you properly all week. I’ve been too tired. But what kind of excuse is that? Can’t even make love to my wife. Shit.”

“Joe, honey, you are doing the best you can. I am just glad you’re ALIVE. You fighting out there for me? For the girls? That’s everything Joe. You need to rest, you are exhausted. You’re hurt, you’re drained, you need to breathe. You have been through too much to worry about this.”

“But it’s my job to-“

“Joe, you listen to me.” you said firmly and sat up, Joe stayed laying on his back.

He got quiet when you spoke, he had angry tears in his eyes, angry at himself – not you.

“You do so much for us. You take such good care of us. Let me take care of you. That’s my job.”

“Besides, there’s more than one way to do this,” you grinned and slid your hand up his chest, and moved to climb on top of him.


	6. Babies

You had some errands to run tonight, it was your oldest daughter Anna’s 7th birthday tomorrow, and you were getting things to make her cake. Joe was home with the girls, and you hated being away from your family but you were getting a surprise present for Anna, and not that you didn’t trust Joe to get groceries, you wanted to just have a little bit of time to yourself and you weren’t sure what gifts you were going to get Anna yet.

You have three beautiful girls with Joe. Anna is 6 almost 7, Elizabeth is 5, and Gracie is 2. All the girls love you and their daddy, but Gracie clings to Joe when he is home. She’s his little shadow. It’s fitting because of all the girls she is the one who looks most like him. Her eyes look exactly like his and her smile kills you because it looks just like Joe’s smile. All your girls are beautiful and Joe claims that their looks are from you, but you can see hints of Joe in all your girls and it warms your heart.

You got your groceries and headed back home because even though getting some space was nice the more you thought about your family the more you wanted to be back with them. You made and ate dinner before you left, and since you cooked dinner Joe had offered to make sure the girls took baths and if you had to be out later than expected he’d put them in bed.

When you walked inside the house it was unusually quiet. It wasn’t late enough for them to be in bed when you got home so you wondered. The house was just really quiet.

When you became pregnant with Anna, you had Joe had to move out of the apartment. There just wasn’t enough space and climbing stairs would be difficult as your pregnancy progressed. So Joe bought a little house for your little family, and that’s the house you are in now. It has 3 bedrooms. When it was just you and Joe and Anna, the extra bedroom was a space for Joe to box a little. But when Elizabeth came along, Joe built a shed out in the backyard to hang his punching bag and box a little to work out.

Then when Gracie was born, Elizabeth moved into Anna’s room. It’s snug but it’s just fine.

So when you walked in tonight, you didn’t hear anything. You figured everyone would be in the living room but you didn’t see them as you walked in.

“Hello?” you called out. Within seconds you heard giggles and you faintly heard Joe say, “let’s go see mommy.”

You went into the kitchen to set the groceries down, and a couple moments later you saw Joe emerge from down the hall. Anna was wrapped around Joe’s leg, Elizabeth was dangling from his neck, and little Gracie was sitting on his hip, his arm holding her to him.

“Honey?” Joe asked you with a fake questioning voice, “I can’t seem to find the girls.” All three of them giggled and Joe tried to keep a straight face but his heart melted when all three giggled.

“C’mere love.” Joe said as he walked towards you, your daughters still dangling from him. With his free hand he pulled your face towards his and gave you a long lingering kiss. When he pulled away he winked, and angled a little so you could see Elizabeth’s face peering over Joe’s shoulder. You leaned over him and gave her a kiss. Joe took that opportunity to steal a kiss from you and kissed your ear.

You blushed and “ignored” him to kiss Gracie on her head, and then you knelt to Anna’s level to hug and kiss her.

“Mommy your cheeks are red!” Elizabeth giggled. She had slid off of Joe’s back and was standing now. Your cheeks darkened when you made eye contact with Joe. You wondered why red cheeks would be something kids would point out, but they’re brutally honest.

“Alright girls. it’s bedtime.” Joe called out.

There was a collective groan.

“Yeah, it’s bedtime.” Joe answered back. Gracie’s big brown eyes were heavy and she was starting to fall asleep in Joe’s arm.

“Will you read to us daddy?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes baby I’ll read to you. I’m gonna take Gracie to bed then I’ll come read to you ok? Go get in your pjs.”

Your heart ached watching Joe with the girls. You loved him so much.

You went into Anna and Elizabeth’s room and helped them with their pajamas. You looked across the hall to see Joe putting Gracie to bed. He kissed her cheek gently and he stroked her hair as he set her down in bed. He closed the door behind him and walked across the hall to join you in the other girls’ room.

You stayed and listened to Joe read them a story. Elizabeth passed out after a few minutes. Joe’s voice had always made Elizabeth go to sleep, even when you were pregnant with her.

Anna was awake still when Joe finished the story. She was excited about her birthday tomorrow, you could tell.

You and Joe kissed Anna good night, and Joe hit the light as he closed the door behind him. You went back into the kitchen to grab Anna’s presents and took them back into the master bedroom so you could wrap them. You changed into your nightgown, while Joe was turning off the lights and locking the doors.

Once you were in your nightgown you sat on the bed and began to wrap the presents. Joe came in and smiled when he saw you.

You glanced up at him, and returned his smile, but went back to your wrapping. You wanted to finish up so you wouldn’t be taking up the whole space on the bed, so Joe could get in it.

He took off his shirt and pants, and was left in his boxers and a tank top. You finished wrapping the last present and set them on the floor, and you looked up to see Joe standing at the foot of the bed.

“Now that you’re done wrapping presents…can I unwrap one?” Joe asked.

“Take that off.” You replied, and point to his tank top.

He smirked and slid the tank top off. He leaned down and crawled across the bed and didn’t stop until his lips met yours. With his hands he slid you down so you were flat on your back, and he began to kiss your neck over and over.

Joe slid his hand under your nightgown and was making his way up your leg. You gasped and called out his name, and he moved his hand further, his hand was on your thigh approaching the edge of your panties, and you hissed out his name.

He jolted up when he heard ‘daddy?’ behind him.

Since his blood was pulsing as he was getting turned on, he had mistaken you calling out his name as you being turned on and not you warning him. He was relieved he hadn’t taken your underwear off yet, and that he hadn’t take his own off.

His hand flew out from under your nightgown and he sat up quickly. You sat up too.

It was Elizabeth.

It didn’t take you long to realize why she was in there, you heard the distant rumble of thunder. Elizabeth is scared of thunder.

“C’mere baby.” You called to her. She came around on your side of the bed and climbed into your lap.

Joe walked over to put on some pajama pants and sat back down on the bed.

Elizabeth spotted the small stack of presents on the floor. “Are those for Anna?”

You nodded.

“The pink is pretty.” She said, talking about the ribbons and wrapping paper. Her voice sounded so small, it was obvious she was still scared, because she shivered a little when thunder rumbled in the distance.

You glanced over at Joe and tried not to laugh, his ears were bright red. You knew the moment Elizabeth was out of the room - Joe was going to pounce on you. He had that look in his eye.

After a few moments, the thunder seemed to pass, and Joe gathered Elizabeth in his arms and took her back to bed.

You faintly heard Elizabeth ask Joe if he was “tickling” mommy. You felt your face heat up but you couldn’t help but laugh. You were lucky she came in when she did.

When Joe came back inside your bedroom, you laughed when he made a point to lock the door.

“Your face is red, mommy.” Joe teased, repeating Elizabeth’s comment from earlier that night in the kitchen.

“I heard her ask if you were tickling me, “you laughed, while Joe slid off his sweatpants and crawled back over you once more. “I didn’t hear the rest.”

“She asked if you liked being tickled.” Joe said with a devilish grin, “And I’d say you do.” He said as he leaned down to capture your lips in a feverish kiss. You gasped in pleasure as his hands slid up your nightgown again.

“Yeah…you do.” He growled playfully and slid down the bed so he could kiss his way up your legs…for a different kind of tickling, one involving the stubble on his cheeks and the softness of his lips.


	7. His Girl

didn’t just dump you. You knew. You knew he loved you. You could just tell.  
You weren’t worried he left, you were just worried if he was ok.

You were sitting alone at your table at the diner. You saw Joe walk in the door, you saw his eyes searching for you.

You gasped when you saw his face from the front when he turned his head. He SMILED when he saw you, but his expression changed when he saw the fear in your eyes.

His sweet young face is bruised. His nose is busted and he has a black eye. It’s practically swollen shut. His hair is pressed to his forehead with sweat. His knuckles are red and raw.

“Joe?”

“Hey baby,” he smiled as he slid into the booth.

“Are you ok?” you were starting to panic. You’d never seen him like this before. You knew he boxed but it was rare to see him so beat up. From what you’d heard, Joe usually had the other guy down on the mat in a second.

“I’m fine sweetheart. Promise. I’s boxing.”

“I’ve never seen you like that before. You sure you’re ok?” You reached across the table to touch his cheek.

“’m fine.” He took your hand and kissed your palm. Your cheeks flushed instantly.

“Hey Teague!”

Joe turned to see another guy, about Joe’s age. 

“Great job tonight. You earned that win. I think you’ve got a real future in boxing, man.”

Joe nodded humbly at his friend.

“This your girl, Joe?”

You smiled shyly.

You reached out your hand to shake his. He gave Joe a knowing look, and patted him on the back.

“Well done Joe.”

“You’ve got a good one Miss.” He nodded at you and left.

You smiled thinking about what Joe could possibly have told his friends about you.

You and Joe ordered your food and ate and chatted. You couldn’t help but smile at his sweet face even though parts of it were red and purple. His one good eye was fixed on you. His smile was just the same. And your heart was aching at how much you loved him. You hadn’t even dated for that long, but you loved him.

The two of you left the diner, and since it was a nice evening, you took a stroll together – not quite ready to finish your date. You passed by the gym where Joe boxes.

“So are you?” you asked nodding towards the gym.

“Am I what?”

“Are you going to go into boxing?”

“Been thinkin’ about it. But I..don’t think that’s what I want to do ya know?”

“What do you want to do Joe?”

“I wanted to run it by you actually. Since you’re my girl, wanted you to know.”

“I’m your girl,” you whispered it as a statement. Still not over hearing those words.

“Yeah, you are,” he whispered it back so softly your toes curled.

“So what do you wanna do Joe?”

“I wanna kiss you,” he whispered. He stopped walking and held your hands. You felt your heart in your throat.

“Can I?” he asked, sliding his hands up your arms.

There had been a handful of times he’d kissed you. He’d kissed your cheeks several times. He kissed your forehead once. And earlier tonight he’d kissed your palm. But so far, he had not kissed your lips.

Joe is a gentle soul. He’s patient. He knew when he asked you out how unfamiliar with everything you are. Joe respects you, and while he has to deal with his boxing buddies asking “how far did you get” Joe just smiles and keeps his secret.

The secret that he hasn’t gotten “far” with you physically yet, but emotionally he has. He soaks it all up. The way you sigh when he hugs you. The little hint of a tremble when he holds you close. How he felt your pulse quicken under his fingers when he held your hand that first time.

You’ll never know any of that.

You do know that he is kind, and you have never felt pressured, so maybe you do know.

“That’s not a job silly,” you giggle playfully hitting his arm.

“I haven’t kissed you yet but I know I want to for the rest of my life.”

You froze.

“Really?”

He nodded.

“But to answer your question, I, uh…” he rubbed the back of his head nervously, “I think I wanna be a cop. Help people ya know?”

“Joe!!” you clapped your hands excitedly and hugged him, “you would be perfect! You should do it.”

“Yeah?” he asked and pulled away to look at you.

“Yeah,” you smiled.

When he pulled away, he didn’t let go. His hands were still on your back. Your heart started to pound in your chest as he slid his hands up to cradle your face.

“Can I kiss you baby? Please?”

Your heart was beating so fast, he has to hear it.

“Joe you have a black eye, and a broken nose!”

“Don’t need those to kiss you baby,” he teased.

“I’m nervous,” you whispered in a voice so small he barely heard it.

His thumbs started to rub your cheeks. They were beginning to darken.

“It’s ok sweetheart, it’s ok.”

You looked down, embarrassed.

“Hey hey hey,” he titled your face back up with his thumb and forefinger on your chin, “I am too.”

He took your hand and put it over his heart, his was beating just as fast as yours.

“I just saw your lips and I got brave,” he laughed.

“Well then…what are you waiting for officer?” you felt your cheeks burn, but you felt his heart jump under your hand.

He slid his hands back up onto your face. He felt your body trembling and he shushed you gently.

“Sh sh sh it’s ok.”

He leaned in and gently touched his lips to yours. You felt your knees buckle, and Joe chuckled a little when he felt you push against his chest for support. He was holding your face so tight, but so gently your head was spinning from his hands alone.

When he pulled away slowly, your eyes stayed closed for a beat longer. When you finally opened them, you were met with Joe’s bright smile. You saw that his ears and cheeks were pink and you were sure yours looked the same.

Your guess was confirmed when he stroked your cheeks again with his thumbs.

“That’s the prettiest color I’ve ever seen.”

“Joe,” you whined embarrassed.

“It is,” he said as he leaned in to kiss you again.

When that kiss broke, he took your hand in the crook of his arm and walked you home.

“So when does the cop stuff start?”

“Gonna start the academy here soon.”

“I’m so happy for you Joe.”

He smiled and gave you a sweet kiss when he dropped you off at your door.

“I wanna come watch you box sometime Joe,” you called after him as he walked down your sidewalk.

“Come tomorrow!”

“I will!”

You waved him goodbye, and as soon as the door was closed behind you, you felt your hand fly up to your lips. You could still feel the tingle and the pressure his lips had left against yours.


	8. Dancing Around the Ring

_Joe stepped into the ring. He bounced a little on his toes. He cracked his neck, stretched his arms. He had his game face on. Eyes hard. He looked emotionless, but tense. The other boxer was bigger than Joe, but that didn’t faze him in the slightest._

Joe stepped onto the dance floor (your kitchen floor to be exact). You slid your hands up to his neck as he outstretched his arms for you. His face was gentle, eyes soft, full of love for you. You’re small in his arms and he can’t handle how much he loves how you feel when he holds you.

_The opponent swung first. Joe dodged, and swung back. Joe hit his opponent right in his face. This stunned his opponent. Joe hits harder than this guy was expecting._

Joe leaned into you. You blushed as his nose brushed your cheek, you turned away in shyness. But only for a moment. Your eyes flicked back up to Joe. Your eyes hit something in Joe’s gut. How did you manage to do that every time? He knew it was coming, you and your big eyes.

_The fight continued, and Joe was winning. His opponent seemed to tire easily. Joe could dodge the jabs as quick as he could throw them. The opponent was almost beat and Joe had barely broken a sweat._

The dance continued. And Joe seemed tired. You didn’t want to press him, he’d gotten home late. But he was holding you and you didn’t want to tell him no. But you also didn’t want him to stay up later than he had to. He looked exhausted. You could feel the dampness of sweat through his shirt onto your skin, when you touched his shoulder.

_The final blow was Joe jabbed quickly, and knocked his opponent off his feet. He fell to the floor with a thud. Joe stood humble, yet triumphant. He knew he was good, but he didn’t want to brag. One of the men on Joe’s little boxing team came and threw a towel around Joe’s shoulders. Joe nodded as he was told over and over how good he was. He was humbled._

Joe smiled at you and twirled you around. He dipped you, then swung his arm under your knees, sweeping you off your feet. Joe grinned, he knew he had you. He saw your face, and smirked, feeling bold.

_Joe headed back to the locker room alone. He showered quickly, and sat down on the bench in front of his locker. He sat still for a long time, his muscle aching now that the adrenaline was fading. He stood and got dressed._

Joe carried you to your shared bedroom. You showered his face with kisses as he walked. He gently laid you on the bed and he stood at the foot of the bed. He stood for a moment, watching you. His (as well as yours) heart rate begin to spike. He smiled as he began to get undressed.

_He put his boxing gloves in the locker, and tossed the towel in the laundry. He slung his jacket over his shoulder, it was too hot to put it on yet. He placed his hat on his head, and adjusted his watch. Once he had all his things, he exited the locker room._

Joe slid in over you. He tossed your robe somewhere behind him. Your hand gripped his shoulder as his lips found yours. His skin was so warm, but maybe that’s because you’re warm too. He brushed your hair out of your face. And when the kissed deepened, his tongue found its way into your mouth.

_He got into his car, and sat for a moment. How long was he going to keep doing this? He was good, he knew, but was this all there is for him? He didn’t know if he could do this forever. He knew he had talent but he wasn’t so sure this is what he wanted._

If there was anything in this world that Joe wanted to stretch out, it was this. The tenderness and the passion. Hearing you sigh from his kisses, he could do this forever.

_Joe waited inside his car for a moment thinking. He wanted to become a cop. He’d thought about it for a long time. He hoped he was making the right decision._

When Joe finally moved to lay down next to you, he stopped to look at you. “Marryin’ you was the best decision I ever made.” He whispered as he leaned in to kiss your lips again.

_He climbed out of his car, and made the walk up the stairs to the apartment._

Joe pulled you into his arms. He rolled over on his back, and you laid your head on his chest. “Oh yeah?” you replied. “Yeah,” he whispered back, “though there is something I want to ask you.”

_He heard music in the hallway, and he put the key in the lock to open the door._

“What’s that Joe?”

_When he opened the door, he saw you, in your nightgown and bathrobe, swaying in the kitchen to some music._

“I wanna become a cop.” You paused for a moment when you heard his statement. “Do it, Joe. You’d be wonderful.” “Yeah?” “Yeah Joe. Do it baby.” He squeezed you tight in his arms.

_He crept up behind you and pulled you into his arms and began to sway along to the music with you in his arms._


	9. Nerves

It’s the late 1930’s.

How did this happen? How was this even real? You are dating a marine. And everyone keeps telling you it’s not a good idea. That he’s just gonna use you up and then ship off to war. People keep telling you that he’ll screw you over and never see him again. 

“War is coming, y/n, he’s gonna leave you as soon as we get involved.”

But that’s not what happened. Not at all. 

Your sweet Joe never once tried anything. He told you once he was afraid of falling in love with you because he knew that any day he was going to have to leave you for war when it happened. You just had this feeling that he was the one for you. But you didn’t want to fall for him and then something happen to him. It would break your heart. 

So now you had a choice. Do you marry this sweet man? Get a little time with him only for him to leave? Or say no, and never know what it’s like to wake up next to him. To have him kiss you. To make love to you? Were you going to pass it up? 

“I barely know him,” you thought. But you just had a feeling. 

So you married him. You married that sweet Joe. You’d only known him for a few months but it just felt RIGHT. 

In the mess of getting married it didn’t hit you until Joe had you in his arms carrying you into his little apartment. This was your apartment now. 

The two of you had gotten married in such a hurry, because of the threat of war, you didn’t realize how shy you felt til now. 

Joe took off his marine cap, and you both giggled at the situation. You’re standing in the living room in your wedding dress and you can’t seem to get out of it. 

“Joe I’m stuck!” you giggled. 

“Here baby, I got it.” 

You took off your veil and draped it over a chair. Joe came up behind you and reached for the zipper. You jumped when you felt his hands on you. 

“Hey hey,” he cooed, “it’s ok baby.”

Your insides were churning. Your cheeks felt like they were on fire, and he hadn’t even done anything yet. But how were you supposed to remain calm? When your new husband, was in his marine uniform behind you? His hands were on you and you felt your knees weaken. 

He slowly unzipped the zipper so as not to startle you. Once it was undone, he slowly slid his hands inside the dress. His warm hands rested on the bare skin of your hips. 

“It’s ok baby, I’ve got you. We’re gonna go slow ok?” 

You nodded. 

A thrill went down your spine as he kissed your neck. You and Joe had gone so slow because of your caution for the war, that you’d never really done anything physical at all. So even a kiss on your neck made your toes curl. 

He slid his hands to your shoulders and he smoothed the dress off. 

It fell to the floor in a heap around your ankles and now you were only in your lacy underwear. Your back was still to him, which you were grateful. You were a little shy to turn around. 

You were frozen. Your skin had goosebumps from the air (at least that’s what you told yourself). Your skin had goosebumps because there was a sweet brown eyed marine standing behind you how was aching to see you. You could feel his warmth behind you. 

“Can I see you?” he whispered. Your heart jumped into your throat. 

You were trembling with nerves and excitement. You couldn’t tell which. 

You turned slowly to face him. 

He let out a breath he didn’t know how long he’d been holding. There was this look in his eyes that you couldn’t quite place. It was love and softness and dark desire all at once. 

And he was looking at you. 

Your hands jerked to hide yourself but you fought it. 

He saw your hands jerk and he reached for them. He pulled you close and the feeling of your tummy pressed against the material of his uniform was an odd but strangely welcome sensation. The buttons on his jacket pressed into your skin and you got chills. 

His hands smoothed up your arms and his fingers toyed with your bra strap. 

His lips found yours and he kissed you deeply. The deepest kiss he’d given you (so far).

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered against your cheek. His fingers stroked your cheek. Your cheeks were dark red, but he loved it. He was nervous too. 

He stepped back and slid off his jacket. He stopped again just to look at you again. 

A look of desire washed over his face and he moved back over to you. He scooped you up into his arms and he carried you to the bedroom. He carefully laid you down on the bed, and he turned to close the door behind him. 

When he turned back around you blushed when you saw his eyes. They were dark. 

In this moment you didn’t care what anyone had to say. Maybe he was going to have to go to war. Maybe something was going to happen to him. But right now? You were his girl. 

The only place he is gonna be tonight is with you.


	10. Hurt

Joe couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so scared. 

He’d been out working a case and he came back to the station to write down some information etc. It was nearing lunchtime and he was eager for a break. He wanted to go home and see you. 

But as he walked into the station he saw you sitting at his desk. He saw you and smiled because he loved when you surprised him for lunch. But when you turned he saw you had a black eye, a split lip and your cheeks were stained with your mascara. Your lipstick was smudged. Your eyes were swollen with tears. 

Joe’s heart sank to his gut. He felt anger well up in him because whoever did this was going to pay. But he couldn’t, not yet. You are the priority. 

“Sweetheart,” he gingerly reached for your face. The moment his hands touched your skin you began to sob. You stood on shaky knees and he held you tight in his arms. He shushed you gently and stroked your hair. He let you cry as long as you needed until you could catch your breath. 

When you caught your breath you pulled away. He still held you in his arms, his hands cradled your face. 

“What happened?” 

“A guy tried to grab my purse,” you sniffed, “I reacted and he hit me. He hit me so hard I fell.” 

Joe glanced down at your knees, he saw your pantyhose had holes in them and your knees were scraped. He slid his hands down to reach for your hands. Your palms were scraped up too. 

He gently pressed his lips to your palm. You didn’t miss the hurt look in his eyes. 

You looked at his shoulder and saw mascra and lipstick smudged on his white shirt. 

“Aw Joe I’m sorry,” you sniffled again. 

Confused, he followed your gaze. 

“Sweetheart, don’t you dare worry about that. Shirts can be washed my love. I’m worried about you. Do you remember what this guy looked like?” 

Right then another detective walked by, “we’ve got in him in interrogation #1, if you wanna talk to him Teague. Looks like your girl found a guy we’ve been looking for in that case.” 

“Don’t move, I’ll be right back.” Joe told you softly. 

You watched Joe roll up his sleeves and you smiled to yourself. Joe was on the warpath. 

That same detective caught your eye, “c’mon,” he said. He motioned for you to follow him. 

You and this other detective watched Joe through the glass interrogate this guy. 

You didn’t realize that you left a mark on the guy, but you saw scratches on his face from your nails. 

And though in this moment you had been so scared, suddenly seeing this guy handcuffed to a table while Joe stalked around the room did things to you. You felt heat rise in your cheeks and you shivered watching his intensity. 

Joe paced around the room, and you listened over the loudspeaker. Joe’s deep rumble shot all the way down to your toes. Joe finally sat down and you couldn’t help but gawk at his broad shoulders. 

You had a flash of an image of Joe holding you down on that table, but you came back to reality when Joe yelled at the man. You’d never heard Joe yell like that before. His roar made you quiver. Joe grabbed the man by the collar and whispered a dark taunt. It was so low you couldn’t hear it. 

Before Joe exited the interrogation room, the detective took you back to Joe’s desk. 

You were feeling such a rush of emotions you weren’t sure how to feel but overwhelmed. You had been through a horrible morning but seeing Joe how he was just now, and how gentle he had been with you….you couldn’t be more in love with your husband.

Joe came back and he looked angry, but when he saw you sitting at his desk he softened. 

“Let’s get you home my love.” 

Joe’s stomach growled, and you giggled. 

Joe grinned the BIGGEST grin when he heard your little giggle. He leaned down and gently kissed your temple. 

His eyes saw a paper sack on his desk when he stood back up. 

“Did you bring me lunch?” 

You nodded, “I was on the way over here when that guy…”

His eyebrows creased and he knelt down again to kiss your forehead. 

You looked up and reached for his face. Your hands touched his stubbly chin. 

“Might outta shave that Joe.” 

“Thought you liked it,” he purred in your ear. 

You blushed and lightly shoved his chest. 

“Let’s go home ok?” he repeated. 

Once he got you home, that’s when the real tenderness began. In the gentlest way he could he undressed you and cleaned your wounds. You only had a few scrapes but they were still dirty from the sidewalk. Your heart ached with how gentle he was with you. You knew he was hungry too, he still hadn’t eaten. 

He set you up on the counter in the bathroom and began to work on you. He cleaned and wrapped up your palms. Giving each a soft kiss. He took care with your knees, when he carefully slid your pantyhose down. Joe’s well practiced in getting those off you, but he was careful not to hit your scraped-up knees. He knew they had to sting, and they did.  
Even ask you walked it stung. He cleaned your knees, he knew it hurt. But he was so careful. 

Your black eye and split lip couldn’t be fixed other than iced. He still kissed them both, as gently as he could. 

He helped you stand, and placed your robe around your shoulders. You were starting to ache from the fall. 

He carried you into the kitchen and set you up on the counter. You admired his shoulders again as he moved. He’d taken his shirt off to be washed. 

He grabbed simple stuff to make some sandwiches. Your hands were too scraped to hold anything comfortably.

He leaned against the counter next to you happily eating his sandwich. One hand was resting on your thigh. 

“I saw those scratches on that guy. Did you do that?

He turned to look at you and you nodded. 

“That’s my girl,” he laughed and pressed a kiss to your cheek. You felt the stubble scrape and you flushed. 

He saw it and smirked, but then his face got serious. 

“You ok though baby? Because I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

You nodded. You were ok. You felt a little jumpy but you felt so safe in Joe’s care. 

“I’m ok, Joe. I think.” 

“It’s ok to not be ok.”

You reached for him but when you pressed your hand to his shoulder it made your cut sting. Even wrapped in the bandage it hurt. You winced and pulled back. That’s when the tears came. 

“I can’t even touch you Joe, my hands…” you paused to look at your wrapped hands. 

“Yeah but I can,” he said and turned to face you. 

He slid his hands under your robe to rub on your thighs. He leaned in to and began to kiss your neck. He moved up to your ear, kissed it, and then began to whisper, “I know you’re hurt, so we’ll go slow, you stop me if I need to alright sweetheart?” 

You nodded and sighed. 

You shivered when he nibbled on your ear. 

He pressed his hips in between your legs, he positioned himself carefully and guided your legs to wrap around him. He went very very slow so as not to hit your knees. Once you were wrapped around him he carried you back to your bedroom and laid you down. 

Your body was aching and sore from your fall, but now your body was aching for the feeling you knew Joe was going to give you. 

Your body was humming at how soft he was being. The last time he had been this soft, was your first time together. You almost wanted to cry. You only had a couple of scuffed up knees and hands, but Joe knew that you getting hit today took an emotional toll on you. And right now the only thing he wanted you to feel was safety, and love, and thorough pleasure. 

You don’t know if Joe realizes it or not, but you feel all of those things with him, all the time. But now that he is so focused on it, you feel overwhelmed in the best kind of way.


	11. Push-ups

You woke up to the sound of soft grunts and deep breaths. You knew it was Joe, you knew that sound well. You’d heard it many times in your ear. But right now Joe was clearly not on top of you. He wasn’t even in the bed. You reached your arm to feel next to you, the spot was cold. 

You looked over at the window, the only light peeking in through the blinds was the streetlight outside. What time is it? 

You sat up to find Joe. He was on the floor, at the foot of the bed, doing pushups. 

You waited for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and you unashamedly stared at his back as he moved. His tan skin was illuminated a little by the streetlight. It was enough to see the definition. Your eyes wandered to his arms, strong and defined. You scanned over his whole body. You blushed at yourself when you checked out his ass in those sweatpants. 

You knew he would smirk if he saw you. 

His body was straight and precise, and he was moving fast.

You wanted to know what he was doing obviously, you could see he was doing pushups but why at this hour? 

“Joe?” you whispered. 

He froze. 

“Shit did I wake you?” he asked as he sat up. His chest heaved slightly as he caught his breath. You could see the ink on his chest and his bicep lightly in the dark. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Couldn’t sleep.”

He stood and ran a hand through his short hair. He disappeared in the bathroom for a moment and came out with a towel.

“Here, let me,” you whispered and stood taking the towel from him. He quirked an eyebrow for a beat, but then he realized what you were doing. You stood in front of him and began to wipe the sweat off of his chest and arms. You focused on what you were doing, but you felt your cheeks heat up. You knew he was watching you. Joe leaned down, and you felt your cheeks heat up even more. He placed gentle kisses all over your face and on your forehead. 

“Turn,” you commanded gently. 

“You denying my kisses?” he teased, “can’t hide from me forever sweetheart.” 

You blushed and whined, you pressed your forehead against his back. You felt his laugh vibrate through his back. 

You laughed at yourself when you moved your head off him, because now you had Joe’s sweat on your forehead. You dried your forehead and dried off his back. You traced your finger over one of his old war scars. You felt his skin shiver under the soft touch. Then you leaned in to kiss his back. He shivered again, and moaned when you hit a certain spot. 

He couldn’t take it anymore and he turned to gather you up in his arms. 

“Why didn’t you wake me Joe?”

He looked at you in question. 

“Well you’re doing pushups to make yourself tired right?”

He nodded. 

“Why didn’t you wake me? I could’ve help wear you out,” you blushed at your boldness but stood firm. 

The look on Joe’s face was one you weren’t expecting. He blushed, you thought he would have a smug grin. But his eyes flicked down and he chuckled nervously. 

“Thought about it,” he said rubbing the back of his head, “didn’t wanna wake you up for that. Making love to you baby ain’t some cheap thing to make me tired…” he trailed off, “do you understand?”

You nodded and leaned pressed your lips to his cheek, “my sweet Joe.”

“I always wanna make to love to you baby. Didn’t seem right to wake you up for it.” 

You took a good look at him and he really did look exhausted.

“How long have you been awake?” you rubbed his arms up and down as you asked. 

“All night.” 

“Is something wrong?” you reached up to hold his face. 

“Can’t sleep is all.”

“You sure you don’t wanna take me up on my offer? Since I’m awake now…” You trailed your hands down and played with the band of his sweatpants. 

Without a word, his lips were on your neck and his hands were on your hips. He guided you backwards onto the bed. 

“You’re gonna be tired at work tomorrow baby,” Joe whispered in your ear as he slid his hands up your thighs. 

“So are you…you were doing pushups.”

Joe chuckled in your neck at your eagerness. He didn’t feel bad now. 

He grinned when he looked back at your face. 

“Pushups huh? How long did you watch me?” his grin grew wider and smugger. 

He really didn’t feel bad now. He’d gotten you hot and he didn’t even mean to. 

Moments later you were hearing those soft grunts and deep breaths in your ear as he made love to you. 

You feel asleep in a tangled mess of his arms and the sheets. You woke up feeling like you should be cranky but after Joe’s lovin the night before you just couldn’t be grumpy.


	12. PTSD

The rain is beginning to fall heavily outside. You don’t know what time it is. But you don’t care. You’re wrapped up tight in Joe’s arms and you don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow. 

Your head is resting on his chest. He’s breathing softly. You wonder if he’s asleep. Your arms are hugging his body, and his arms are holding you to him. His grip has loosened, and that’s what makes you wonder if he’s asleep. 

You’re enjoying this soft moment to care, and you don’t want to wake him if he’s fallen asleep. He had a horrible day at work today. You could barely get a word out of him when he got home. 

It was raining when he got home, and you’d made supper for him. He ate but seemed to only pick at his food instead of eating all of it. 

He showered, alone, and that was a sign he needed space. The fact that he showered at night even was another clue. 

You realized when he was in the shower that you hadn’t put the dry towels in the bathroom yet. You’d folded them but not put them away. So when you heard the water shut off, you went to get him a towel. 

You knocked on the bathroom door, you don’t know why you did, but he was different, you didn’t want to spook him. 

You turned the knob and gasped when you walked in. 

The shower was off, but Joe was still sitting in the bathtub.

His head was in his hands, his shoulders were shaking. 

He was crying. 

Your heart stopped, and you weren’t sure what to do. You knew that he might have some PTSD, he’d only been back home for a month or so from the war. 

“Joe?” you whispered as softly as possible. 

He wiped his face with his hands and looked at you. That was when your heart broke. His big brown eyes were full of tears and he looked so upset. 

You walked to the tub and kneeled beside him. 

“Joe baby, what it is?”

You ran your hand through his wet hair. He closed his eyes enjoying the feeling. He let out a shuddery breath. And that was when you realized. The effect of the war may just now be affecting him. 

When he began to speak, your guess was confirmed. 

“Someone shot a gun today, scared the shit out of me. Took me right back. Shit, then when I got home to you? And your smile and eating dinner it just…this doesn’t feel real.”

He had been staring at the wall as he spoke but when he finished talking he looked at you. 

“I’m here Joe. Honey I’m right here. This is real, you’re ok.” 

You ran your hands through his hair again and it almost seemed too much for him. He moaned as if he realized you are real. 

“I dreamed about you all the time baby. All the damn time. Couldn’t wait to hold you again. And now that I’m here I feel like I’m not.” 

“C’mon Joe,” you commanded gently. You stood up and motioned for him to stand. A hint of desire struck you as Joe stood in front of you, but that’s not what this was about. You handed him the towel and he stepped out to dry himself off. 

Not caring that he was still wet, you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. 

“I’m real baby. 100% real.” 

You stroked his hair again. 

“You tell me if you ever feel like this again ok? I won’t laugh, ever. I can’t pretend to imagine what this would be like for you.” 

He followed you out of the bathroom and he sat down on the bed. Your heart was aching you had never seen him like this. He looked like his mind was somewhere else, but he was slowly coming back. Now you know why he was barely even looking at you at dinner. 

Since your clothes had gotten wet, and it was bedtime anyway, you shed your clothes for your nightgown. You pulled out a drawer in the dresser and grabbed some underwear for  
Joe. 

You crawled into bed as he dropped the towel and put on the shorts. 

The rain began to pick up, and when thunder clapped Joe jumped. 

You wrapped your arms around his torso and shushed him gently. 

“It’s ok Joe. It’s ok.”

He got still and you hoped he’d fallen asleep. He needed it. 

“It was raining like this when I kissed you for the first time. You remember?” he whispered softly. 

You felt tears in your eyes, this was the most Joe thing he’d said all night. 

“Of course, I remember Joe! How could I forget?” you giggled and blushed at the memory, “that was my first kiss.” 

“Shit I was so nervous, you were so cute. Damn it nearly killed me. Your bright eyes and your cheeks all pink and your lips, damn your lips. I wanted to kiss you so bad.” 

You blushed hearing all this. That had been years ago. But you wouldn’t ever forget. 

You’d been on a few dates with sweet little Joe Teague. He was an absolute dream to date. He was so respectful and gentle and though he was eager, he took care. He never rushed into anything. Not even kissing. He wanted it to be right. You remember when you admitted to him that you’d never been kissed, he had such a look of softness. 

“I didn’t want to screw it up.”

“I married you didn’t I?” 

Joe chuckled, and that was music to your ears. 

You remember walking down the streets with him, hand in hand. You remember his palm started to sweat. Joe has always been warm, but this was different. He stopped walking, and you got nervous. Your first thought was that he was going to dump you. 

Right when he pulled his hand from yours so he could face you it began to rain. Hard. 

You both laughed and ran for shelter. By the time you found an overhang you were both soaked. 

You both gasped and laughed as you caught your breath. 

“Joe, were you going to say something?” you were almost afraid to ask. 

He faced you again, and took your face in his hands. Your heart started to race, a lump was in your throat, your mouth felt dry, and your stomach was full of butterflies. You could  
see the look in his eyes. He looked so in love with you it made your knees shake. You felt terrified, but you wanted this.

“Can I?” he asked. 

You felt your cheeks warm under his palms, and you nodded. 

He pressed his lips against yours and you felt it all the way down to your toes.

You’ve been kissed by Joe hundreds of times since then, but you will never forget just how sweet that first kiss was. You laid awake that night after it happened thinking about it. 

You replayed it over and over in your mind. His gentle hands cradling your face, and you recall now that his hands were shaking slightly. It was such a tender moment it always stayed with you, and thinking about it now made you begin to cry. 

Joe felt your tears on his bare chest.

“What’s wrong baby?”

“Of all the memories, you picked that one. Joe that was one of the memories I thought about so much when you were gone.”

You sat up to dry your eyes, and Joe sat up too. 

“C’mon sweetheart.” 

“What?” 

He stuck out his hand to you. 

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed his keys. 

“Let’s go.”

He led you outside of your apartment and you laughed in shock as you guessed what he was doing. 

The two of you stepped out into the pouring rain. You blushed seeing Joe’s bare chest in the rain, he looked so handsome. He could say the same about you, you saw his eyes rake over your body. Your nightgown was soaked and clinging to your skin. 

You giggled when he placed his hands on your face, the same way he’d done a million times, but it was that same way when he first kissed you. 

“Can I?” he asked. You couldn’t believe he remembered those words.

You just smiled in response, and he kissed you softly. Your head was spinning, you felt the same way you had all those years ago. 

But then Joe began to kiss you deeply. His hand found your lower back. His bunched up your nightgown in his hand. 

Thunder rolled but he didn’t jump. 

He pulled away and looked like himself. You knew that he might have another PTSD episode, and that was ok. You were ready for it. You knew he knew he could have another one. 

But you could tell by the look in his eyes right now, that you are real. You’re not just a cherished memory. You’re not a dream he’s having to keep himself going in war. You’re a  
real person and he’s got you in his hands. 

“You ok?” you asked, he’d been looking at you for a few moments. 

“Yeah, sweetheart. I am.” He rubbed his thumbs across your cheeks. “Let’s go in.” he laughed and you both began to laugh as you almost slipped up the stairs. 

For the second time that night Joe had to dry off, and you had to change clothes because you were wet. 

Except before you could put on dry clothes, Joe snatched you up to love on you a little bit before you both fell asleep to the sound of the rain.


	13. Proposal

“Close your eyes,” you hear Joe call to you from the next room. You’re sitting on the couch in Joe’s apartment, and Joe is in the bedroom. He said he had a surprise for you. You knew what he was, but you played along, and still buzzed with excitement. 

“No peeking.” His voice was closer that time. He was in the room now. You had your hands over your eyes and you couldn’t help but smile. 

“Ok.” 

You peeked out from between your fingers to see Joe in his cop uniform. He looked shy, but you beamed with pride. He graduates today from the police academy. 

You jumped to your feet and reached for him. Your hands went right to his face. You cradled his freshly shaved cheeks in your hands. 

“Joe,” you breathed, “you look so handsome.”

He smiled at you, he still looked nervous though. You guessed it was simply excitement from graduating. 

“You ready?” you asked him. He nodded and turned his head a little to press a kiss to your palm. He watched you blush as he began to nibble a little. You whined at him but didn’t dare move your hand. 

“I hate it when you do that,” you teased. 

“No you don’t,” he whispered against your hand, his eyes looking right at you. 

You rolled your eyes but the blush was still there. 

“Let’s go officer,” you teased him and headed towards the door. 

You turned when you realized he wasn’t following. He was standing in the middle of the living room. He looked so nervous. 

“Joe? You ok baby?” 

You walked back over to him. You rested your hand on his bicep and squeezed. 

“It’s ok to be nervous. You’re starting something new.” 

He nodded but still had that look in his eye. 

“I’m so proud of you Joe. I couldn’t be a prouder girlfriend.” 

A tiny grin formed on Joe’s face. 

“What about a proud fiancée?” 

“What?” you felt sick and excited all at once. Before your mind could even process Joe was on one knee in front of you. 

“I was gonna wait till after the ceremony today but shit I’m too nervous,” he laughed and your heart swelled. 

You felt tears well up in your eyes as he began to speak. 

He took your hand in his, and he looked up at you. His big brown eyes full of love, yet he looked so nervous, and so eager all at once. 

“Y/n?”

Your heart jumped. You’ve heard him say your name. Of course you have. But suddenly this was different. This was really different. 

“You said just a second ago that I’m starting something new. And I want to with you. You’ve been by my side this whole time, and I want you here always.”

You couldn’t tell if your hands were shaking or if his hands were shaking. He was holding on so tight. 

“Will you marry me?” he asked so softly and smiled your favorite crooked smile. 

You nodded ‘yes’ before your mouth says the word. Joe slides the ring onto your finger, and he kissed the back of your hand. 

Still holding your hands he stood up. He let go for a moment to wrap his arms around you. You hugged him tight and laughed. You’re still crying happy tears, and when you   
sniffle, Joe pulls away to wipe the tears from your eyes. He cradles your face and pulls you in for a soft kiss. 

You hold his face again, as he kisses you. He pulls away and repeats the action of kissing your palm. Your heart swells as you get the sight of Joe’s big eyes looking at you, and just against his lips is your hand, which gives you the sight of your new engagement ring. 

Now you know why he had been so nervous. He had a spring in his step now. You took his arm and walked out of the apartment. 

He couldn’t stop smiling as you got into his car. 

“Now I know why you didn’t want to wait!” you teased him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Hell I wouldn’t have made it. I was so nervous. I was awake most of the night.” He flushed at his own answer as he started the car. 

“Joe!” you clapped your face to cover your mouth, “you’re gonna make me cry again! Did you think I would say no?” 

“There was always that chance, but what if you said yes? I was so excited.” He grinned and placed his hand on your thigh. 

“You’re gonna be my wife, baby. That sound damn good.” 

Your cheeks hurt the rest of the day. Between your engagement and Joe graduating, it was all just so much for you. You went to bed that night with your heart full.


	14. Thursday

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Joe purred in your ear. 

“Nuh uh,” was your reply. You pulled the covers over your head in attempt to avoid him. It didn’t work. You knew it wouldn’t, but it was still fun. 

“Come on love, big day today.” 

“It is Thursday morning!” you whined. 

“Yeah but I’m off today. Want to spend it with my girl.”

“I’m not off today.” 

“Which is why I’m waking you up sweetheart. Wanna kiss ya a little before you have to leave me. And I’ll be all lonely here by myself.” 

You scoffed but giggled a little after. 

“Was that a giggle I heard Mrs. Teague?” he slid his hands under the covers and began to tickle your tummy. “C’mon baby I wanna see your face.” 

You humored him and pulled back the covers. You couldn’t resist him for long anyway. 

He beamed down at you, he looked perfect and you imagined you didn’t look too hot. You’re not exactly a morning person. Your hair was mussed up and your cheeks were a little  
pink, and your eyes were puffy and sleepy. But Joe smiled at you just the same. 

“There she is. There’s my girl.” He leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. “You’re so cute in the mornings.” 

“Just in the mornings?” 

“Sassy too,” he laughed, “you’re always cute my love. You know that.” He pressed a kiss to your nose. 

You groaned and stretched when you sat up. You looked on the bed to see one of your dresses was laid out. 

“What’s this?” you pointed to it. 

Joe smiled, and looked sheepish. 

“It’s my favorite dress on ya.” 

“Oh,” your cheeks darkened. You leaned in to kiss Joe fully on the lips. “I love you.” 

“Love you too sweetheart.” 

Joe stood up and left the bedroom to head to the kitchen. 

While he was gone you got up and got dressed. 

You snuck up behind him in the kitchen and wrapped your arms around his torso. You rested your head against his warm bare back. “I’m surprised you didn’t stay to…help me get dressed,” you teased. 

“Sweetheart if I had stayed for that you would be late for work.” 

You buried your face into his back with shyness but laughed. 

“Gonna be difficult anyway seeing you in that dress.” 

He turned in your arms to look at you. 

“Sweetheart…you…you look so beautiful. You’re so beautiful. Can’t believe you’re mine,” he leaned in for a quick kiss. He pulled away so he could look at you again. 

Quickly you ate your breakfast and Joe kissed your several more times before you left for work. He squeezed your ass quickly as you headed out the door. 

“Joseph Teague!” you giggled and slapped his hand away even though you loved it. “None of that! Save that for when I get home!” you tried to sound bold and sexy but instead you were giggling and your cheeks were pink. Joe saw right through you. 

Joe leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I’ll be right here sweetheart,” he winked as you turned and left before he could do anything else to make you late. You were already frazzled and flushed enough. 

What were you going to do with him? You were going to have to go to work and thank about his hands on you all day. It was hard enough already to do that, but when he was so frisky so early? You were gonna be very unproductive at work. But he knew what he was doing. The longer you had to wait, the more eager you would be to see him when you got home.


	15. Action

“Joe baby how much longer?” 

You groaned a little. Joe’s got his beside lamp still on. He’s reading some case files. 

“Sweetheart I told you I can go into the kitchen to work. I left early from work today, I have to look over these.”

“But I want you here,” you whispered. You were sleepy and not making much sense. 

Joe shook his head at you and smiled. 

“I’m almost done I just need to write down a couple more things.”

You scooted over a little and rested your head on his thigh. His hand dropped to your head and he stroked your hair gently. His fingers lightly dug into your scalp. 

“That feels nice,” you mumbled. 

He snorted out a chuckle, “go to sleep sweetheart.” 

“Want you to hold me Joe.”

“I’m right here.” 

He slid his hand down into your nightgown. His hand was flat on your back. He gently rubbed your skin and he felt goosebumps rise under his fingers. 

“I was so scared today Joe,” you sniffed out. You finally said it. 

“I know baby I know.”

XXXXX

Early today you had seen Joe in action. Which was rare. You thought you would like it, but when you saw it, you were terrified. 

It was a coincidence really. You were at the store on your way home. You were walking out of the store with your groceries when you saw Joe across the street. 

You’d know those shoulders anywhere. 

You were about to call out to him when you saw him pull his gun. There were several cops around and another detective you recognized. Facing Joe was a man’s face you’d seen in the newspaper. His face was chilling. His nose was bloody (courtesy of Joe you guessed). This man had his gun drawn too and it was pointed right at Joe. You froze and your blood ran cold. 

You couldn’t even see Joe’s face and you were so scared. 

What if?

No.

You shook your head to shake the thought, but you still felt sick. You clutched the grocery sack and stood frozen on the sidewalk. You jumped out of your skin when you heard a  
gunshot. 

The other man dropped, while your Joe stood his ground. 

You gasped aloud when Joe turned and you saw his face. His nose was broken, again. 

As long as you live, you will never, ever, forget the look on Joe’s face when he saw you. 

His face dropped, it’s not that he wasn’t happy to see you, but he did NOT want you to see him. He knows he always knows and has since he joined the marines. He knows that something could happen but he doesn’t want you to see it. 

His blood ran cold with anxiety that he fought when he first started the war. He conquered it but it couldn’t let it take over him. 

As much as he loves you, the only way he is going to come back home to you is if he stays focused. He stays focused for you, not ON you. 

You’re still standing frozen, and you think most of the groceries are crushed inside that bag. 

The cops and other detectives took care of the scene, Joe had only shot the man in the shoulder to drop him. 

Joe made his way across the street to you in a second. 

His hands grabbed your face and he looked over you as if he was checking for injuries.

“Are you ok?”

You nodded, your fingers had poked holes into the paper sack. 

“I’m taking you home. I have to get one thing at the station, but then I’m taking you home.” 

XXXX

“I wish you hadn’t seen that. Didn’t want you to be scared. Scared the hell out of me.”

“It did?” you whispered timidly. 

“Baby what if something had happened to you?” 

“Joe! What if something had happened to you??”

He was quiet for a moment. He forgets sometimes the weight you carry. 

“I’m right here ok? I’m right here.” He closed the files and set them on the bedside table. 

He pulled you up and into his lap and you curled into him. He took your hand and put it on his chest, you could feel the steady thunder of his heartbeat. “I’m here.” You smoothed your hand over his chest, and you saw the goosebumps you made on his skin. 

“Damn baby you oughta be careful. You’re playing a dangerous game.” 

You blushed but continued. You slid your hand up, onto his neck, then to his jaw. You stroked his slight stubble and tilted his head back. You wrapped both arms around his head and kissed him deeply. He slid his tongue into your mouth and his hands squeezed your sides. You pulled away flushed. He moved his hand up to trace your bottom lip with his thumb. He slid his hand down and rested his hand gently over your heart. He grinned at how fast it was beating. He was a little proud he did that to you, but mostly he thought it was sweet. 

His other hand rested on your chin, his forefinger resting under your chin, getting you to look at him. It hurt to look into his big brown eyes. He’s cheating. You didn’t want to look at him but when you made eye contact with him your heart jumped, and since his hand is still on your heart, he felt it. 

He cracked a smile, wow he loves you. And you could see it. You saw it in his eyes. 

Joe’s eyes flicked down to your lips and he could feel your heart rate pick up as he leaned in closer. 

It’s your heart he’s been given the honor of touching. He has your heart. And he knows, just as he always has, that he has to protect your heart. It’s his to protect, and he can feel it right now pounding for him.


	16. Tease

It’s rare to wake up before Joe. But this morning you woke up and you ached for his touch. You watched him sleeping peacefully and you couldn’t help but press a soft kiss to his jaw. His slight stubble tickled your lips. He groaned slightly as the kiss woke him up. You winced, not really meaning to wake him. But your heart jumped when he opened his eyes. His eyes look adorably sleepy. He rolled his head over to look at you with a small sleepy smile. 

“Mornin’ sweetheart.” 

“Morning Joe,” you press another kiss to his jaw. 

“Mmm what’s that for baby?” 

You flushed slightly as you sat up. 

Joe remained laying down as he watched you. His hand found his way up to your hair. His fingers twirled locks of your hair. You pulled the covers down, exposing Joe’s torso. Your hands rested against his abs. Your hands are cold and the contact caused him to jump involuntarily. 

Though it wasn’t just the cold from your skin on his. 

You smoothed your hands upward. A chill went up his spin as your hands moved across his smooth warm skin. You felt each raised bump of a scar as you moved. He jumped again when one of your fingers grazed his nipple. 

“Damn sweetheart startin’ early on me,” he chuckled but gasped when you squeezed his pecs a little. 

You felt his heart begin to race under your hand. 

You swung your leg over so you were sitting on top of him. 

Your hands smoothed upwards still and your thumps traced his collarbone. You smoothed up and down his biceps a little then went back up to his chest. 

Joe spent so much time taking care of you that he got lost in this feeling. It’s not that you don’t take care of him, but when he’s giving you affection it’s easy to get lost in his touch and feel the pleasure he gives. So you’re wanting to love on him a little. Give him some love back. 

You slid down his body so you were sitting on his thighs. He groaned rather loudly. 

You started where you began, at his abs. But this time instead of your hands, you used your lips. 

You dragged your lips along the waistline of his sweatpants. His hips jerked again. 

His hands were clutching the sheets on either side of him. He groaned when you nibbled on his abs. 

“Shit,” he gasped. 

You grinned against his skin. Joe always took his time with you, but it was funny that he’s getting restless. 

You kissed him all over his torso. You sucked hickies onto his skin and nibbled gently on other spots. You took your time on his neck and jaw. And you placed soft kisses to his cheeks and nose and forehead. 

You denied him a kiss to his lips, just to further tease him. 

His hands slid under you nightgown and found your thighs. He squeezed and you jumped a little. His hands moved up to your hips and he tried to pull you further on top of him. 

You giggled at the look of strain on his brow. You hadn’t teased him this severely in a long time. 

You leaned down and bit his neck and shoulder. He hissed in the painful pleasure. Sweat had formed on his brow. 

You smiled again and kissed his ear. You nibbled on his earlobe just a bit. At this point Joe was completely restless. His hips jerked again and he was writhing under you. 

You leaned down and swallowed his gasp with the first kiss on his lips you’d given him that morning. He moaned when your tongue worked into his mouth.

You sat up and rested your hands on his chest. It was heaving under your hands. 

You smiled playfully and climbed off of him. 

“Where do you think you’re goin?” he practically choked out. 

“We have to go to work….I need a shower,” you teased. 

You turned and walked towards the bathroom, you swayed your hips a little more than necessary to tease him further. 

He was on you in a split second.

He turned the water on and backed you under the spray of the shower before you’d even gotten undressed. 

“Joe!” you giggled. 

He pressed you into the wall of the shower and kissed your fiercely. His hands were in your hair. And he growled a tiny growl of approval when your leg wrapped around his hip. 

Within moments clothes were shed and love was made. 

Joe never stopped kissing you. 

Even when you were just washing your hair, his lips were on you in some sort of way. 

You were proud of how worked up you’d gotten him. And he saw your little smirk. 

“Proud of yourself aren’t ya? Damn tease.” He chuckled. 

“Didn’t see you complaining.” 

“You’re gonna regret that tonight sweetheart.” He whispered against the shell of your ear. 

“Am I though?” you teased back. 

When he pulled away you saw the look in his eyes. 

Yeah you were going to regret it. 

But yet you had never been more excited all day that day for the teasing and pleasurable frustration he’d give you that night. 

And Joe would never ever leave you unsatisfied. 

You knew already that you were going to have to tease him like that again.


	17. Neighbors

You and your neighbor across the hall both have husbands in the war. You have your Joe in the marines, and her husband is in the army. Your husbands were in completely different areas of the world. She told you about the cold conditions her husband had mentioned. While Joe didn’t complain, he did mention it was extremely hot in one of his letters to you. 

The two of you formed a special bond, you often did your shopping together, just so the other wouldn’t have to go alone. 

It was lonely without Joe. And you enjoyed having your neighbor as company. But there was an ache in your heart only Joe could fill. And you knew she felt the same about her soldier. 

The pain for her only got worse. 

One morning, you heard a knock on your door. 

Not thinking much of it, you opened the door to see two men in uniform and your heart stopped. 

They looked so sad and you felt sick. 

Your neighbor across the hall heard the knock, and she opened her door. 

“Mrs. Rogers?” one of the men spoke. 

Your neighbor across the hall cried out, they both turned. 

In some sort of mix up, they’d knocked on your door instead of hers. 

Tears welled up in your eyes with relief, but also your heart shattered because your friend had just gotten the worst news someone could get. 

You crossed the hall immediately and hugged her while she sobbed. Her body was shaking as the men spoke. They apologized over and over and offered their condolences in the most respectful way possible. 

Your friend didn’t hear much of it. Her heart was broken. 

So was yours. 

No one should have to go through this. And it only added the worry in your heart about your Joe. 

You put the thought out of your mind and focused on the task at hand, which was comforting your friend as best you could. 

She was never the same after that and you didn’t know what to do. There was nothing you could do. 

You got some relief on occasion when one of Joe’s letters would come. They were rare, but you cherished them. 

But your suspense grew when it’d been a long time since you’d gotten one. Weeks had gone by and you were scared. You searched through your mail obsessively wondering if you’d missed a letter. 

You jumped when the phone rang. You turned up the radio loud to fill your empty apartment with noise. 

The days got longer as the war went on and you felt a fear you didn’t know how to deal with. 

You slept in Joe’s shirts all the time now. You bought his brand of aftershave just so you could smell it. 

You felt like you were preparing for the worst, but at the same time those things brought you comfort. 

One night you were making dinner, when you heard a knock on the door. 

Your friend always called your name when she knocked. Your family doesn’t live in town and you would know if they would be coming to visit. 

It was about the same time as your friend got her news, and you when you realized, you dropped the plate you had in your hand in the sink. The plate broke, but you didn’t care.  
You felt dead inside already and you hadn’t even opened the door.

Your knees shook as you walked towards the door and your hand lingered on the knob before you opened. There was another knock and you jumped violently and opened the door. Tears were already pouring down your face in fear. 

You opened the door, and you saw a man in uniform. 

Joe.

You heart that had dropped, now jumped into your throat. You let out a cry and jumped into his arms. 

You said his name over and over as you cried there in the doorway. You saw through your tears, your neighbor open her door. She had tears in her eyes, but you saw her smile.  
She closed her door to leave you and Joe alone. 

Your face was buried into Joe’s neck and you kissed his neck repeatedly. You would kiss his face, but his grip on you was so tight you couldn’t move. His forehead was on your shoulder and you felt his warm breath through your clothes. 

You both pulled away smiling and with tears in your eyes. 

“You gonna let me in?” Joe teased. 

You grabbed his lapels and pulled him inside. He laughed and you wanted to cry, it’s been so long since you’ve heard that laugh. 

He closed the door behind him a took a deep breath. He dropped his duffle and reached for you. His hands cupped your face and he kissed you deeply. He wrapped his arms around you and squeezed you so tight it hurt but you didn’t care at all. You squeezed him right back. 

You moaned and cried into the kiss. And when he pulled away to look at you, your cheeks were pink. It’s been literal years and it feels new, but very familiar all at once. 

You pulled away slowly, his lips felt just as wonderful as you remembered. 

“Are you real?” you whispered and touched his lips. 

He smiled and cradled your head, “you don’t feel real, you feel like a dream.” 

Joe kissed your hair and took another deep breath. 

“You wanna eat?” you asked and walked to the kitchen. Dinner was still in the oven. 

Joe walked over to the sink and saw the broken plate. 

“You ok?” 

You flushed, “I jumped when I heard the door….I thought-“

“Didn’t mean to scare you sweetheart. But I didn’t have my key.” He grinned softly. 

You leaned into him with a sigh, “why are you home so soon? Is it over?” 

“Got hurt, sent me home.” 

“Are you ok?? Joe!” 

“I’m fine baby, don’t worry. Shoulder hit. I’m ok. Look at me, baby.” 

His fingers held your chin to make you look at him. 

“I’m ok.” 

You nodded tears still in your eyes. 

“Baby, look at me. I’m home, I’m safe, you don’t have to worry anymore.” 

You nodded again, “dinner in an hour.” 

“An hour?” a wide smirk spread across his face. “There’s a thing or two I can think of how we can fill that time. What do you think sweetheart? Got a couple years to make up for.” 

You blushed. 

“C’mon.” he commanded and motioned for you to hop up into his arms so he could carry you into the bedroom.


	18. Burden

One thing you had to adjust to when Joe came back from the war was his PTSD. It scared you but for you there was no other option, you loved Joe no matter what. And you were always going to stay by his side. 

But it wasn’t without struggle. 

Joe had been home a few months, and you’d seen the effect the war had on him quite a few times. 

Tonight you woke up and Joe wasn’t in bed with you. 

It was the cold air that woke you. You curled your arms around yourself, only a thin nightgown and thin sheet covered you. The comforter had been pushed down.

You heard a car horn honk, and felt a breeze blow and that was when you realized. Joe was out on the fire escape. He’d left the window open. 

Something was wrong. 

First of all, Joe got out of bed a lot. And he knew you got cold at night, so he always adjusted the blankets back around you. Second, it’s a chilly night, he wouldn’t have left the window open unless something was wrong. 

You got out of bed and grabbed your robe, and walked towards the open window. 

Joe was shirtless, leaning against the railing of the fire escape. He was smoking. 

“Joe?”

He turned and exhaled, smoke curling from his lips. He flicked the cigarette out, and tossed it down onto the sidewalk below. 

“What are you doing out here? It’s chilly.” 

“Can’t sleep.” Was his simple response. He still hadn’t turned to look at you. 

“Joe. Look at me.”

He was gripping the railing. You gently rested your hand on Joe’s bare shoulder. “What happened to you over there?” you whispered, it was more to yourself than directed at him. 

You knew he wasn’t going to answer. But sometimes it still haunted you wondering what he’d seen and done that you would never know about. 

“Do you still want to be with me?” Joe asked suddenly. 

“Joe? What do you mean? Of course I do! Do you not want to be with me??” 

“Of course I do, baby. I love you more than anything, but why would you want to stay with me? This PTSD has me all messed up. I ain’t worth your time.”

“Joe! Don’t you dare say that! Do you honestly think that you aren’t worth my time?” 

“Sweetheart, you had a shit day today, and then you come home to this?? To me? Shit. I need to take care of you, I don’t want to burden you with my shit. You worried about me for years and then I come back and I’m all screwed up.” 

Tears spilled out of your eyes but you smiled anyway. 

“Joe,” you grabbed his face gently and placed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You know what the most important part of what you just said is? That you came back. You’re home Joe. Don’t you dare say that you’re not worth it because you’re different. We take care of each other. That’s what we’re supposed to do. And you know what? Yeah, seeing you like this is hard on me. But knowing what you went through? That’s so much worse than me just not having a good day at work. We will get through this, no matter what. You have to give yourself time to heal. You were there for years, you’ve only been back a couple months. I don’t want to hear you talk like that again. I know you’re hurting. You are so worth my time.”

He cracked a tiny smile. He knew you were right. 

Damn he was glad he married you.

He pulled you into his chest for a sweet hug. That was the only answer you needed. 

“Joe can we please go inside now?” 

He laughed and he kissed your forehead softly, “yeah baby, let’s go in.”


	19. Care

You woke up feeling a weight on top of you. Joe had rolled over on you sometime in the night, and you were stuck. Not that you minded, but you didn’t want to wake him. 

Joe usually sleeps on his back, and often you sleep on his chest or in the crook of his arm. 

Now you were on your stomach, and Joe was half on top of you. His shoulder was pressing into the middle of your back. His head was on the pillow next to you, and his arm was wrapped around you. 

You wanted to roll over so you could look at him. You were too afraid to move, as he doesn’t get as much sleep, and you hated to bother him. 

But still, you liked this. You felt so safe. His breathing was steady and quiet in your ear. You could feel his chest moving as he breathed. You shifted just a little and he grunted in his sleep. You bit back a giggle, and wondered what Joe would say when he woke. 

Happily you closed your eyes and soaked in the warmth his body gave off.

You’d almost fallen asleep when you felt his lips press a kiss on your shoulder. Another kiss on the shell of your ear. A quick one on your cheek, a lingering one with tongue on your jaw. He kissed a spot behind your ear and you giggled when the stubble scraped your skin. 

“Joe!” you squealed and squirmed under him. 

He had some stubble on his cheeks and jaw. 

Normally Joe was precise, he shaved everyday. 

But a couple weeks ago, Joe had been hurt on the job. Shot in the shoulder. You were frantic when you got the phone call. Joe was more worried about you, because you had to hear it from someone else other than him. 

He was fine, considering. But he took time off to heal and rest. And you kinda loved it. You still worked, but it was a nice change in coming to home to Joe, instead of waiting for him to get home. 

Joe probably could’ve shaved with one hand, or you could’ve shaved for him. But he let his facial hair grow a little, he knew you liked it, so he left it. 

His arm was still a bit sore, but he was well enough to go back to work soon. 

Which meant goodbye to the stubble. 

“Mmmm?” he hummed in question while he moved down to kiss your neck. 

His teeth gently bit on your neck and you groaned into the pillow. 

His good arm had slid underneath you and his hand was splayed against your stomach. 

You shivered when you felt his nose brush along your spine. He felt you shudder, and he smirked against your back. 

You couldn’t take it anymore, and you rolled over on your back. You needed to look at him. 

Joe lowered himself carefully, still not using his hurt arm as it was still in a sling. 

His good arm slid under you again, his fingers dug into your back this time. His hurt arm was pressed in between your bodies and was pressed into your stomach slightly. You felt his face press into through your nightgown. 

His lips found your neck, and your chest. He kissed what skin was exposed, and still he kissed spots covered by your nightgown. He nibbled your skin all over, and you shuddered feeling his stubble scrape. For a moment, he laid his head down on your chest, his ear over your heart. 

With your hands, you stroked his head. The short hairs on the back of his head were soft on your fingertips. 

You scratched and rubbed the back of his neck, and he groaned a little satisfied groan. His grip tightened on you and again you giggled. 

“My Joe baby,” you smiled and scratched his scalp. 

“I love when you call me that,” he mumbled. 

For some reason, you flushed. You covered your hand with your mouth. 

He looked up when he felt your hand leave his head. 

He cracked a sideways smile, “you’re blushin’ sweetheart.” 

With joy he watched the pink on your cheeks blossom into red. 

“Joe!” you whined and he pressed a kiss to your very red cheek. 

“I do I love it, and you.” He smiled and kissed your lips. 

He was going to lay his head down on your chest again, but you stopped him. 

“Wait,” you grabbed his face, feeling his stubble under your palms. 

“What?” he grinned. 

“Just…” you left on hand on his cheek, but you smoothed the other hand up over his head to smooth over his hair. You watched him close his eyes in pleasure at the feeling. He leaned his hand into your palm and sighed. You felt his breath against your face, and your cheeks started to heat up again. Feeling his breath against your face like this reminds you of heated moments, which made your cheeks flush. 

Joe opened his eyes, and leaned down to capture your lips. 

You wriggled a little under him, and when he pulled away from the kiss, his eyebrow was raised. 

“Something botherin’ you sweetheart?” 

He knew. 

He saw that look in your eyes, and the remainder of the blush on your cheeks. The blush had creeped down to your neck now. 

These past few weeks had been….interesting, as far as love making went. Joe only had one good arm. Not that he couldn’t pleasure you, but it was more that he didn’t like not being able to hold you with both hands. And it was harder to steady himself with just one arm. 

There were awkward moments, but they were sweet. Nothing he did ever ruined the mood, even if he felt like it did. It gave you a chance to love on him, for you to take control. 

You’d also seen Joe blush more than you had in a long time. He’d been shy, but twice as passionate. 

The end result every time was you getting loved on by him. Didn’t matter if he couldn’t use on of his arms. You grew as a couple with the intimacy, and the giggles. And since 

Joe’s arm is in a sling, his bicep is always flexed. You grabbed onto that a lot in passionate moments. 

“Joe…I need…” you sighed, his kisses had been so affectionate this morning. You needed more. You’d woken up with his weight ontop of you. 

You needed more. 

Joe’s ears and the back of his neck turned a little red. 

“Need ya to help me out a little,” he flushed. 

“Your arm hurting?” you asked, suddenly worried. 

“Little bit, I uh…slept on it.” 

Of course! You hadn’t even thought about that! His good arm had been wrapped around you, but that meant his hurt arm was resting on the mattress. And since Joe was on top of you at an angle, his bad arm was holding the weight. 

“Oh no Joe I’m sorry we don’t have to-“

He just gave you a look as a reply. His eyes were dark, but still soft. And still shy. 

He couldn’t undress you with one hand that well. 

But where Joe was slightly embarrassed, it only turned you on more. It was teasing in a way, your clothes came off slower, only making you crave the touch of his hand on your skin. 

“It’s ok Joe,” you reassured him as you helped him undress you. 

“I’m sorry if I woke you this morning,” Joe purred in your ear. He was still on top of you. Yours and his skin sticky with sweat. 

“You are not,” you sassed. “But I am sorry about your arm.” You said with a more serious tone. You gently squeezed his bicep. 

“It’s been feelin’ good but now the damn thing is sore again,” he huffed. You could tell he was frustrated, he was ready to go back to work. He liked getting quiet time with you, but it wasn’t the same because you still worked. 

Today is on the weekend, so you’re off. But during the day, he’s alone and doesn’t have much to do. 

“I know baby I’m sorry.” 

“And I know you like this, but…think I wanna shave. You wanna help?” 

You nodded with a smile. 

He gave you a good deep kiss before he climbed off of you. There was a watch imprint on your belly, and little indented marks on your skin from the sling. 

“Sorry,” Joe whispered, as he ran his thumb over the pink flesh. 

“It’s ok, Joe. You probably have nail marks on your back, so we’re even.” You teased. 

He smirked and winked. 

You laid in bed still for a moment while Joe got up. You admired his bare ass while he tugged on his sweatpants. You knew that he probably saw you, but hey you’re his wife, you get that privilege of checking it out. 

Right as he was pulling up his pants (with one hand), you leaned across the bed to pinch his ass. He whipped his head around, with a big smirk plastered to his face. 

You fell on the bed laughing. 

“Oh yeah?” he teased. 

Your eyes widened as he climbed back on the bed. 

He shoved the sheets back and straddled your hips. With his good arm he gathered your wrists in his hand to pin them above your head. He leaned down and began to suck a hickey on your neck. His arm in the sling was resting against your torso, and his scabbed knuckles gave your chills as they brushed against you. 

He grinned against your neck as he felt you wriggle under him. He tasted the sweat on your skin from his love making moments ago. 

He sat up and released your hands. His hand slid down your body, squeezing as it went down. His hand stopped at your hip and he squeezed. His thumb brushed your hipbone  
and you jumped at the sensation. 

He’d been so embarrassed that he could only use one hand, but you wondered if he realized one was all he needed. 

“Joe,” you gasped out, his finger was still stroking your hip. 

“Hmm?” 

“I love you,” you smiled.

“I love you too,” he laughed, he didn’t know what prompted you to say, it but he always loved to hear it. 

“I mean it.” 

“I know sweetheart, I do too.” He squeezed your hip again, “and you don’t know what it does to me to hear you say that when you’re looking the way you do…..” 

Your exposed skin, flushed cheeks, mussed up hair, and some sweat on your brow. 

“….your sweet smile.” 

All the things laid out in front of him, and he picked your smile.

Yep. You loved him. 

“Shit I love your smile.” 

Which of course only made you smile grow. 

“Joe!! I need you to know, I just, you worry so much you can’t take care of me and you’re doing just fine with ONE hand. I love you so much.” 

His ears turned red again. 

“And I really do love your smile,” he said and moved his hand up to stroke your cheek.

“And I love your stubble,” you reached up to press your palm to his cheek, “but I’ll be glad to help you shave.” 

“You sure? If you like it I can keep it for another day or so?” 

“In another day or so you’ll be able to shave on your own….and I want to…do it,” you grinned bashfully. 

“Shit woman you can do it for me any day you want!” he said with a laugh, “I get tired of shaving.” 

You laughed, “I get tired of shaving my legs.” 

“Mm I could help with that.” 

You sat up and playfully slapped Joe’s good shoulder, “oh hush.” You were trying to hide your blush, but it wasn’t working. You know Joe loves your legs, and if he has his hands  
on them, then some love making is ALWAYS in the near future. 

He grinned and climbed off the bed. He headed towards the bathroom while you put on a robe. 

Joe got the materials to shave and you hopped up on the counter. He came to stand between your legs, and your hands like a magnet went to his chest. Your hands smoothed up and down as his lips found yours. His good hand was on your thigh, and his thumb rubbing on your skin sent shivers down your spin. 

You didn’t want to stop kissing him ever. 

He smiled so softly when he pulled away. You knew he must have been thinking the same thing. 

“Ok Joe,” you laughed, “what do I do first?” 

You’d watch him shave dozens of times, but suddenly you weren’t sure what to do. And this was his face, you were worried you’d cut him. 

He walked you through the steps slowly, and he held still while you moved the razor. 

You giggled as you wiped off his face, it made your tummy tighten to see freshly cleaned Joe. But you gasped when you saw a tiny spot of blood. You’d nicked him. 

“Joe! I’m so sorry! Why didn’t you say anything??” 

“It’s ok sweetheart!” he laughed, “it happens.” He shrugged and pressed a kiss to your lips. 

He wrapped his good arm around you to help you down, but before you moved, you wrapped your arms around his neck. He hugged you tight and you squeezed back. 

“I know I keep telling you this but Joe, I’m really glad you’re ok.” 

Him getting shot had really shaken you. 

“Me too sweetheart,” he squeezed one more time, then helped slid you off the counter. 

He looked down at you with a grin as he reached for the bathrobe tie. With one tug, the knot was undone and the robe was open a bit. 

You smiled up at him. Since he’d been shot, it was like when he came home from the war. Like suddenly you were on your honeymoon again. Constant need to feel each other, and confirmation that the other is real. 

Joe’s hand grasped your hair and he led you back to the bed. He sat down and pulled you on to his lap and pushed the nightgown off your shoulders. 

His hand cradled the back of your head and he kissed you. Your hands held his freshly shaved face, and gently you pushed him backwards to lay down. His hand gripped your thigh, while your hands smoothed up his chest. 

You combed your hands through his hair, making him close his eyes again. 

“Keep doin’ that.” 

You smiled as you played with his hair, and scratched his scalp. There was no urgency, just intimacy. His thumb stroked on your thigh, and while you both wouldn’t mind reaching that high again, for right now you were just happy to touch each other’s skin.


	20. Lipstick Stains

You knew this life was dangerous. Joe being a detective wasn’t without it’s dangers. But you think him being away from you for a couple years when he was at war, might have eased to you into his role as a detective. 

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t terrifying when you’d see him come home in blood. 

It could be someone else’s blood or his blood. 

You’d gotten really good at washing out blood from Joe’s white shirts. 

You’re doing laundry now in fact. A love song is on the radio, and you’re humming along as you put clothes in the wash. 

Joe’s wardrobe doesn’t change much, he varies up his ties a little, and maybe wears a different suit jacket. But the man only wears a few pairs of pants and about a dozen plain white shirts. He’s a simple man. He likes what he likes and that’s all there is to it. 

Right now the wash is full of white shirts. You’d just finished treating a bloodstain on Joe’s shirt and you tossed it in the wash. The memory came flooding back from the night before. 

Friday nights are usually hectic, and Joe had had a hell of a night. A suspect they’d been tracking turned up, but he wasn’t alone. Several people got shot, including the suspect. 

Joe shot one of the men at close range, blood spattered all over his shirt. Scared you to death when he got home. 

You almost started crying, and he had to console you when he walked in the door. 

“Sweetheart, I ain’t hurt alright? Only thing hurtin’ me is that you haven’t let me kiss you yet.” He smiled a tiny smile and leaned in to steal a quick kiss. He pinched your butt as he walked past you and shrugged his coat. 

“Take off that shirt Joe I need to wash it,” you told him. 

“Oh yeah? You just want it off so you can wash it? You sure that’s all?” he teased and slid off his shoulder holster. He untied his tie, tossed it on the couch and began to unbutton the buttons on his shirt. He tugged on the shirt to untuck it from his pants and finished with the buttons. 

He was about to slide the shirt off when you stopped him. 

“Wait,” you whispered. 

Joe stood with his hand on the shirt, it was fully unbuttoned, his tank top was underneath hugging his torso. 

His eyebrows creased in confusion. 

You walked towards him and slid your arms around him, underneath the shirt. You felt the warmth of his body through the fabric of the tank top. And you closed your eyes with a sigh and leaned into his neck. You pressed your lips to his neck, but on accident you kissed his shirt collar. When you pulled away there was a perfect lip print. You flushed, but there was a certain look about it that you loved. 

You giggled and pressed another kiss to his skin on his neck. You left a lip print there too. 

Joe wrapped his arms around you and rubbed your back. He knew the toll it took on you when you saw blood. Even if it wasn’t his, you worried about him. And he reassured you, but he let you worry. He just let you hold him when he got home. 

And who was he to complain? That’s what he wanted more than anything is to be in your arms. 

You pulled away and slid the shirt off his shoulders, it fell in a heap on the floor, and he scooped you up into his arms. 

He carried you to the bathroom and set you down to turn on the tub. 

“You feel up for a bath sweetheart?” Joe asked. 

It was kind of a Friday night tradition. Joe usually has Saturdays off, and that he can stay up later and not have to worry about missing any alarms the next day. 

He’s precise, and alarms have never been an issue, but damn they’re an issue when you’re in his arms and he doesn’t wanna get out of bed for anything. So Friday nights, you both can stay up as late as you want. 

Sometimes, usually, you make love. Just about every Friday this happens. But you do other things too. A shared bath is one of them, that happens every Friday. And more often than not, love making follows the bath time. Or in most cases, is during, the bath time. 

But after love making and dinner, you like to have something sweet to eat while listening to a radio show you both enjoy. And lately you and Joe have been reading a book together. You take turns reading out loud. It’s a mystery novel, Joe thinks he has the killer figured out. 

You’re not sure if you’ll do any reading tonight, you’re tired. But the bath? That’s tradition.

Joe sat down first and he held you hand as you lowered down into the tub. He wrapped his arms around you as you leaned into his chest. His hands held you tight as he placed kisses on the shell of your ear and on your neck. 

His hands wandered a little, smoothing and squeezing flesh. Mainly your legs. His hands find your thighs like a magnetic pull. He squeezed and got a squeal out of you and he smiled. He soaped up his hands and washed your body gently. When he was finished, you turned in his arms, to wash him off. There was some blood still on his face and neck. 

Then with his foot, Joe toed the plug to let the water drain. 

“Are we done?” you asked.

“Not at all sweetheart, just didn’t feel like cleaning up waters sloshed onto the floor again,” he said with a wink and pulled you on top of him. 

The water drained as you made love in the tub. 

Giddy and giggling when it was over you both climbed out of the tub to reach for some towels. 

Joe wrapped you up tight and kissed your wet hair. 

“You wanna read tonight?” Joe asked, rubbing your cheeks now. He saw the tired look in your eyes. 

You shook your head ‘no.’ 

“I’m sorry Joe, I’m just so sleepy.” 

A tiny smirk flashed across his face and you smacked his chest. But then he got serious. 

“I’m tired too, been a long day.”

Joe dried off and slid on some sweat pants. You slid on your favorite nightgown and curled into bed. Joe made sure the front door was locked and he turned off all the lights. He stepped outside on the fire escape to smoke. 

When he was done, he closed the window, locked it, and climbed into bed. 

“Sweetheart my shirt was still on the floor, I put it in the laundry basket. I’ll help you wih laundry tomorrow, I know you’re tired.” 

You didn’t hear him, you’d already fallen asleep.

“Sweetheart?”

He smiled and slid down under the covers. He pulled you to him and naturally you laid your head on his chest. You mumbled something but it was incoherent. 

Joe laid awake for another hour thinking. He’s been doing that a lot lately, since he found out you are pregnant. He has so much to protect in his arms. He never ever has told you, but he still gets nervous out on the job. Especially now. 

You woke up bright and early, and ran to the bathroom with morning sickness. Joe told you to wake him when you felt sick, but somedays you just don’t want him to see you bent over the toilet. When you rinsed your mouth out and washed your face, you were awake. Morning sickness has been waking you up and you can’t seem to fall back asleep. 

You walk by the bed, and see Joe is fast asleep. He looks so cute and peaceful, you don’t want to bother him. And you’re feeling restless so you don’t really feel like climbing back   
into bed. 

So you go to wash the clothes. 

You see Joe’s bloody shirt on the top of the basket and you begin to treat if for the bloodstains. 

You let the shirt soak, and toss in other things that need to be washed.   
You’re about to throw the bloody shirt into the wash when you feel Joe’s arms wrapped around you. His hands rub your little baby bump. His lips pressed to where your neck and shoulder meet. 

“I told you I was gonna help with the laundry but you fell asleep on me,” he teased. He saw the fading mark of the lip print on the shirt. He stroked it with his thumb, the lipstick   
smearing. 

He cracked a smile. 

“Remember when you put on lipstick and got those stains all over me?” he purred in your ear. 

“Joe baby, that could be any night we make love,” you giggle. 

He growled playfully. 

“Nah baby there was this certain time…” 

You flushed, you remembered. 

But then you felt sick again. 

You rushed off to the bathroom, and Joe wasn’t far behind. 

“Joe,” you whined. “I don’t want you to see me like this!”

“Like what baby? You’re sick sweetheart. As if I’m gonna be anywhere else but right next to you.” 

“This doesn’t look gross to you?” 

He got a rag off of the counter and got it wet with cool water from the sink. 

“Sweetheart I have seen so much worse you can’t imagine.” His tone was serious, but it was oddly comforting. “You’re carrying out child. Our little Teague. I’m half the reason you’re dealing with this.” He winked. “and I’m not going anywhere.” He gently dabbed your face with the rag. 

“But what if I want chocolate donuts?” you whispered. 

“You want chocolate donuts now?” he almost laughed, but more smiled at how cute you are even in this situation. 

You nod, “from the bakery down the corner?” 

“You got it sweetheart.”

He handed you the rag and he stood to get ready to leave to get your donuts.


	21. Broken Window

A chill up your spine and the smell of bacon stir you from your sleep. Your robe has been laid out on the bed next to you. Smiling you pick it up and wrap it around your shoulders. Joe. He left it for you. It’s your warmest robe.

You see the curtains moving slightly, and you notice the window is cracked open. It’s the top portion of the window and you can’t quite reach. You’ll have to tell Joe.

With a smile you find him in the kitchen, he’s at the stove. You hear bacon crackling and Joe is humming the song you’d heard on the radio last night. You drink in the sight of him. He’s wearing his slacks and shoes, but no shirt. His shoulder holster is on his back, and he has a rag draped over his shoulder.

You spot his jacket and tie draped over the back of a chair at the kitchen table. It’s then you notice the table is set, a fresh cup of coffee is steaming at your spot.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Joe smiles as he turns. He’s scrambling some eggs. An unlit cigarette hangs from his lips and his coffee cup is next to the stove.

“Good morning handsome,” you reply and wrap your arms around him. Your hands rest on his abs, and your head on his shoulder blade.

“Your hands are cold baby,” he says, and you feel goosebumps on his skin under your touch. He places one of his large warm hands on yours to warm them.

“The window is cracked in the bedroom. I can’t reach it.”

“I’ll get it before I leave,” he answers and removes his hand to turn off the burner.

“Thank you,” you kiss his shoulder. “Where’s your shirt?” you smile.

“Never heard you complain about that before,” he teases. “It’s drying. Sit down and hand me your plate.”

You smile and take your seat. You hand him the plate and reach for your coffee. The mug is warm on your cold hands.

Joe fixes your plate and his, and sits down to eat. He reaches for his coffee when he remembers it’s still by the stove. You giggle as you take a bite of eggs. Joe flashes you a smirk and gets up for his coffee.

“Still doesn’t explain why you have your holster on,” you say as he sits back down.

“You complainin’ again?” he sips his coffee, his big brown eyes full of mischief as he looks at you. “I put it on out of habit,” he shrugs, “then just left it on while I made breakfast.”

Your cheeks warm under his gaze. You take another sip of coffee, when you yawn. You didn’t realize just how early it is. You glance at the clock on the wall and Joe doesn’t have to leave for work for another hour and a half.

“So…your shirt has to dry?” you ask, twirling your fork on your plate.

“Yeah,” Joe nods and takes a bite of bacon. You wait til he looks up at you, and when he does his stubble covered jaw clenches. He knows the look you have in your eye.

You stand and climb into his lap, his arms are ready to gather you up and he’s carried you off to the bedroom before you can finish your breakfast.

Joe lays you down, and goes to close the window. When he comes back to the foot of the bed, your hands are ready at his belt. Clothes (and his shoes) are discarded and he’s on you in a flash. You stop him from taking off his shoulder holster, and he smirks to himself.

“That’s what I thought,” he whispers.

You grab onto his shoulders, and he hisses, “baby your hands are still so cold.”

“Warm ‘em up then Joe.”

Grabbing your hands in his, he stretches your arms above your head. Your hands are covered in his warm hands as he moves above you. His slight 5 o’clock shadow brushes against your cheek.

“Damn I have got to get ready,” he smiles as he rolls off of you. You shiver at the loss of his warmth, and also from the high you feel.

You see the curtains move again, “Joe, I think the window is broken!”

His eyebrows crease and he stands to push up the window again. You unashamedly admire his bare backside and his shoulders move as he pushes up the window. He grunts as he jams it up, and fastens the lock again.

You reach for your robe, and curl it around yourself as Joe walks past you. He kisses your forehead as he goes into the bathroom to shave. Like he’d done for you earlier, you lay out his clothes on the bed. His socks, underwear, and pants that he’d dropped on the floor, you lay out for him. You check to see if his shirt is dry, and by now it is, so you lay it out too.

Your stomach growls, and Joe chuckles from the bathroom. “Go finish eating sweetheart, I’ll get my stuff.”

You pour you and him fresh coffee, and you finish your breakfast. Joe’s newspaper is on the table, forgotten, so you pick it up to read. You can see Joe out of the corner of your eye getting ready in the bedroom, and you smile to yourself.

“Damn window!” you hear Joe laugh.

“Did it open again?” you call to him.

“Yeah!” he walks out to the kitchen and grabs his coffee, “I think the lock is broken. I’ll have to fix it this weekend.” He leans over your shoulder to read the article you’re reading and he leans down to kiss your cheek.

“Joe, wait!” He’s about to put his plate in the sink when he stops. “You have some shaving cream on your cheek.”

He stands in front of you and leans down, he puts one hand on the back of your chair, and the other on the table. You reach up and wipe the cream off with your thumb and press a kiss to his clean cheek.

“Mmm one more,” he says and grabs your chin and gives you a real kiss on your lips.

“Thank you for breakfast, and for…” he cuts you off with another kiss.

“Sweetheart you never have to thank me for that.”

He picks up the unlit cigarette and pops it in his mouth. He puts on his coat and hat and unlocks the door to leave for work. Joe pops his head in right before he leaves.

“Got any lunch plans?” he asks with a wink. “I’ll pick you up.”

It’s still cold in your apartment, but there’s a heat in your cheeks and in your gut. Lunch with Joe later means a repeat of how breakfast went.

Broken window or not, as long as you have Joe Teague to warm you up - that’s all that matters.


End file.
